Power Rangers Fusion
by LeaderOfTheBrokenHearts
Summary: An "ultimate" story that combines all 21 seasons into one ultra-crossover. Introducing an OC whose story shall add a brand new chapter to the annals of Rangerdom. Can the Rangers save the universe from the forces of Chaos? NOTE: Edited for accuracy with storyline.
1. The Coming Of Chaos

POWER RANGERS FUSION

An Original Power Rangers Crossover Story by LeaderOfTheBrokenHearts

All Power Rangers Trademarks Used in This Story Including Character names (including those with created parts of their names), Zord Names, Locations and other trademarks not created by the author are owned by Saban Brands, Inc.

Any Ranger Trademarks created here that were not featured in any past Power Rangers series are hereby sole possession of the author of this story unless otherwise noted.

CHAPTER 1

The Coming of Chaos

This universe is based on balance, it is said. Since the beginning of time, there have always been opposites; yin and yang, light and darkness, good and evil. And though each cannot live without one another, both constantly desire to destroy each other. However, sometimes, though it doesn't happen often at all, the two opposites will combine and create an immeasurable power which can shift the balance one way or the other. A power that can create new worlds or destroy universes. A power known as… Chaos.

Chaos is an unbelievable power, indeed, and controlling it is dangerous and very difficult. In fact, in most instances when a being believes they have mastered control over chaos, that being is in fact consumed by it. But if someone can control chaos, they are a force to be reckoned with, and can undoubtedly change the course of history. Some have controlled chaos without even knowing it, and that is believed to be for the best. But if someone knowingly gains control over chaos, well, "absolute power corrupts absolutely," and that is certainly proven true when chaos comes into play. Those with weak hearts can easily be corrupted, especially with the power of chaos involved. And if the power is controlled by one with a dark heart, many souls will suffer.

Though many of these factors are difficult to predict, if a being with a dark heart is able to control the power of chaos, that being is truly a danger to the universe. And there was one such being in the universe: Gorluce. Back before the modern days of Power, there was the Great War between Good and Evil. Many powerful beings battled on both sides. Those who know the Legacy of the Power know that the great Eltarian wizard Zordon led the forces of Light. And that the witch Rita Repulsa was one of the key players for the forces of Darkness. At the end of that war, Rita was sealed in a Galactic Dumpster for 10,000 years, but in her last act of treachery, she trapped Zordon in an interdimensional warp, confining him in a tube for the rest of his life.

What they had battled over were ancient coins, imbued with the power of the prehistoric beings known as dinosaurs. When Rita and her henchmen escaped from that dumpster many years ago, Zordon knew that a war was about to restart. So with the help of his robotic assistant Alpha 5, he called upon five of the most obnoxious, dangerous, headstrong, "overbearing and overemotional humans" in the world… teenagers. And thus the Original Five were chosen and the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers were born.

What the History of Power had overlooked until now was there had been a larger reason for the war between Good and Evil. An ancient device that could, in fact, control the power of Chaos, a device that could permanently shift the balance. It was known as the Infinity Device. This was what both sides wanted. The opposing forces searched all across the universe for this mystical device. On many different worlds across many different galaxies they hunted until finally, on Earth, it was found. At that time Gorluce was a young wizard; who had been the subject of controversy in his day since he dabbled in both light and dark magic. Gorluce was seen as a prodigy, one who could possibly become the strongest magic user of all time; in fact one who was already growing in strength; but since his future as to which side he was on was uncertain, many believed he should not be allowed to continue his studies as he could become a danger to both sides. As a result, Gorluce was shunned by those of Good and those of Evil. Eventually, Gorluce left his home, vowing never to return until he was a true master of light and dark magic, a force to be reckoned with by Good and Evil alike.

During his time on Earth, Gorluce stumbled into a small temple where a small, black metallic object lay on a pedestal. He translated the ancient inscription to read, "To the one who has found this device, you must know that true power comes not from one being by themself, but from one who has united with many. When all of one shall unite with another, a new power will bloom. Whoever can decipher this riddle, infinite power shall be theirs." Gorluce took the device from the pedestal and felt his heart shake. He knew his life would finally change.

The few friends he had were loyal to him, and he to them, and Gorluce led his friends as a band of rogue warriors taking on any and all comers from both sides. This band was only considered a small nuisance to both sides, until the day they ended up interfering in a great battle: the final battle between Zordon and Rita. The rogues had struck in stealth and seemed to gain the upper hand over the lesser henchmen, but Rita had launched a vicious attack that Zordon deflected right at Gorluce's band. All but Gorluce had been struck. Gorluce's best friend Asurac told him just before the light left his eyes, "No matter where we are, my friend, we will always be by your side. Your power was our power, now our power is yours." Gorluce clutched the hands of each of his fallen friends. And his grief turned to rage. He screamed out, "Zordon; because of you, my friends are gone. You have taken from me that which I have held dear for my entire life. But I will take something from you eventually. From now on, anyone associated with you is my enemy. And I will show my enemies no mercy. I will have my revenge. One day I will reign supreme over this universe, and anyone in my way will be destroyed!"

With those words, Gorluce left the battlefield swearing to himself and to his fallen friends that he would find the way to become true master of the universe. He then looked at his pouch and noticed that the very thing he had claimed so long ago was glowing. He then knew his destiny. He would make all fall to him. Infinite power would be his, and anyone who opposed him would face his ultimate wrath for anyone who stood in the way of chaos would be shown no mercy. He was Lord Gorluce, Master of Chaos, and none would stop him.

It was this that led to his revenge-bent reign as the bane of existence, destroying good and evil alike. He had struck in stealth throughout the universe, allowing only those he wanted to know of him discover his identity. He gave them a choice: "Join me or be destroyed." All who were smart enough to join him, he kept under a watchful eye. Any that were not… Gorluce always made good on his word. He wanted to build a strong enough army to return to the scene of that pivotal moment, Earth. He knew many great secrets still remained there, but if anyone could conquer them, it was he. Now, at long last, he had assembled an army that anyone would fear, and so Earth and the universe behind it would fall; and to all those who would dare oppose him, ultimate destruction.


	2. Go West, Young Man

CHAPTER 2

Go West, Young Man

A Small Town, Southeastern Pennsylvania

The young man wanted change. His life had been through ups and downs, but never like this. He had stumbled through college and hadn't made it. He had some friends, quite a good amount actually, but he always wanted something more. His mother had told him that he could make it in life, even though she herself had been betrayed by his aunt and grandmother, thus causing her to be separated from him. Somehow; through all that, and without his father, whose identity was unknown, he still felt like she was right that somehow he would make it, that somehow he would succeed, despite the Asperger's Syndrome, the high-functioning autism he had been diagnosed with at age 14.

But now, he could no longer live with her, the local police saying he had gotten physical with her one too many times to be considered safe around her 24/7. He had just gotten off county probation, and that had lasted longer than expected. While he was trying to get things headed in the right direction, some things just seemed to hold him back. He knew he was running out of time to get what he had to do done. If he ran out of time, he would be just another failure in the world. And if there was anything he didn't want to be, it was a failure. But to him it seemed he would find a way.

One night laying in bed, the young man was humming to himself, writing his own songs. He liked to alter established songs to tell his feelings. He knew he was a lone wolf and his imagination was his best friend. The truth hurt, but to him it was a good kind of pain; better than the pain of lies, something he knew about all too well.

Foster care had not been kind to him for the most part. One home was fun, but an adopted child took up too much of the parents' attention, and the young man's anger had led to him being seen as a danger to the adopted child, which led to his ejection. Another home was great and he kept in contact with the foster mother to this day. But again aggressive behavior and danger towards an adopted child led to his tearful removal.

The third home was all teens his age, so he wouldn't endanger anyone. Instead, HE was the one in danger. Attacked and berated mercilessly, he stayed the longest time there; but in the end he fought his way out. The last home was okay, but could have been better. He got very little attention at all from the parents...until he put his fist through a window. Another boot in the backside was swiftly forthcoming, and thankfully his mom rescued him from further foster care.

The young man had fallen asleep after finishing a new piece of work. He dreamt someone's hand was on his shoulder. It was a comforting feeling, but when he looked around he saw nothing. He searched all around, but there was no sign of anyone. He awoke with a start and saw that something was written in his notebook. He had been asleep, so obviously he couldn't have written it. The question was: who had? The young man shook his head and took a look at his notebook and this is what it read:

"Hey,

I read your songs. They're all beautiful, but they sound painful. It seems to me you need a new outlook on life. You feel like there's something missing in it. You want to be a hero. I know how you feel. You can do it. And I know just the place. You need a new life, so you might as well change the scenery. There's a place I know called Angel Grove. I think you'll fit in perfectly there. It'll be tough out on the West Coast, but you can do it. If no else does, know that I believe in you. Have faith and be strong. Never give up.

T.K."

Angel Grove? He'd heard of that place when he was younger. There were some stories he had heard about there about fantastic events, but he'd dismissed those stories as hoaxes and urban legends. He had wished beyond wishing and hoped beyond hope that that sort of thing was real, but he knew it to be impossible. Still, it sounded intriguing. He looked again. He swore he saw a stunning young woman about his age. She had long black hair and beautiful eyes, dressed head to toe in yellow, his favorite color. But once he blinked, she was gone. Was he seeing things? Was she an angel? He wasn't sure of much of anything anymore. But this note and the mysterious girl had to be connected, that much he was certain of. But something he couldn't understand: How did this girl, angel or not, know what he was going through? And why did she know his deepest feeling and hopes? And this was the kicker, why did she present him with a possible solution? None of it made any sense. At this point, though, life didn't make sense, period. At this point, anywhere was better than here, anything was better than this, and anyone was better than what he was now. He made up his mind. The mysterious angel was right. It was Angel Grove or Bust. Now, how would he get there?


	3. Invitation To Disaster

CHAPTER 3

Invitation To Disaster

Reefside, California

He had what many would consider a very interesting life thus far. Being near 40 but still going strong, he knew that many people would consider this the prime of their lives, but he also knew that he had done a lot more than some had done in their entire lifetimes. He had been in love, of course, though that fell through a few times. He had been the quarterback for his high school football team, an amateur race car driver and was recently starting mixed martial arts training. He'd gone through college and earned a doctorate in paleontology. He figured he'd go with what had interested him from the start. Now he had just finished up another year as the archeology teacher at Reefside High School. He had been asked to become chair of the science department, but he'd turned it down, figuring he wasn't ready yet. But he did recommend someone who he felt was more than qualified, and that person accepted.

All this under his belt, his fifth degree black belt in toso kune do, and many would consider him a jack-of-all-trades. But that was just his public life. Add in the fact that there was a piece of his past that few knew about, and Dr. Thomas James Oliver figured he had just about done it all. After all, everything that was already public about Tommy's life was amazing as is, but add to that the fact that Tommy was a five-time Power Ranger. He was the Original Green Ranger, nearly destroying the Original Five under Rita's control. The spell was broken, but eventually he lost those powers, only to be restored as the White Ranger and taking command from Jason Lee Scott, who he still considered to be his best friend. After Lord Zedd arrived, the Ninja saga followed with Rita's brother Rito on the scene. Then time was reversed on him by Master Vile turning him into a kid leading to the quest for the Zeo Crystal to fix that. Then he and his fellow Rangers had to take on the Machine Empire and kicked them to the curb, only for Divatox to show up, which brought out the Turbo Powers that Tommy eventually left in the more than capable hands of T.J. Johnson. A while after that came the moon mission; in which he and Jason led eight other Red Rangers in stopping the remnants of the Machine Empire from activating Lord Zedd's old Zord Serpentera, a mission in which the rookie at the time, Cole Evans, had performed outstandingly well in. It was the first time Tommy had morphed in five years. Then, not two years after that, he came to Reefside, only to have Mesogog and his prehistoric rejects show up, and thus Tommy ended up becoming a mentor to three of his students as they became the Dino Thunder Rangers. Eventually Tommy found a Dino Gem of his own _Actually,_ Tommy thought, _it__ found __me__,_ and he was back to being a full time Ranger since he had just gotten out of high school. However, he could not have suspected that Mesogog was the Edward Hyde to the Henry Jekyll of his old colleague, Anton Mercer; nor could he have guessed that his friend Terrence Smith had turned into the cyborg Zeltrax and that Smitty had a vendetta against him. He definitely couldn't have guessed that his students' principal had been on their side either. Elsa sure had him fooled on that one, oh yes. But the most shocking revelation of all was that the rogue White Dino Ranger that had been causing so many problems for his students was Anton's adopted son, Trent. Seeing Trent morph against his will with his own eyes led to him being fossilized, and when he was revived he couldn't demorph. Then an experiment that went wrong turned him invisible. Finally, he got back to normal and Trent eventually broke free of the darkness controlling him and joined the other Rangers. (Tommy couldn't help but smile when he thought of reliving his own situation when that happened with Trent.) Mesogog had ended up splitting away from Anton Mercer, and then he sapped Elsa's powers, reverting her to a normal human state. Zeltrax was eliminated, and finally, the entire team took on a souped-up Mesogog and, using the last of their DinoGems' energy, finally defeated him.

That was years ago. Tommy always felt like trouble seemed to find him wherever he went. So when he got that invitation to a Wild Card Anniversary High School Reunion, two things sprung to Tommy's mind. One, why would they have a Wild Card Anniversary Reunion anyway? He knew that the 10th Anniversary Reunion had been cancelled when, of all things, a blizzard blew through the area, but why would they have a makeup reunion now? The second thing that concerned him; and this was the more daunting matter, if he did go back, would she be there?

To be honest, it may have been doomed from the start with her. She was the first to tell him she knew he was the Green Ranger. When he broke free, they shared precious moments, but then she left for Florida to train for the Pan-Global Games. He thought he'd never see her again, and that letter sure didn't help matters much. He tried to put her out of his mind, eventually trying to maintain a relationship with the new girl in town. But that hadn't worked, either. He knew it. That's why when she left he wished her the best in his mind, truly believing that she was gone, that he really had seen her for the last time.

But, of course, he would see her again, and it couldn't have been under worse circumstances. When he had just gotten the Turbo Powers, he couldn't have foreseen having to come to her rescue. Seeing Jason possessed by Maligore hurt pretty darn bad, both physically and emotionally. He nearly got flame broiled because of it. But seeing her possessed was so much worse. And hearing the words, "Sweetie, Pink is out" as she nailed her successor in the gut stung all the more. Even if she had been herself, he could hear her saying those words. Pink really was out, it was out of her completely, the color she once wore so proudly was no longer a part of her composition. The girl he once loved was gone.

That's why Tommy wasn't sure he could bring himself to return to where it all began. Being as trouble always found him wherever he went, he could guarantee he'd be in a load of it. Now, evil monsters, wizards, space pirates, prehistoric creatures; he could handle that, no problem. But when it came to females, the man that the inner sanctum of Rangerdom considered a living legend was a mere mortal. Even sub-mortal when it came to women in pink. He had to consider pink his weakness.

So Tommy thought to himself, _Okay, it's just a reunion. No big deal, right. But what if she shows up? What then? The old Ranger logic says to take trouble head on, but this isn't the kind of trouble you can just rip through. Besides, I don't think I can just pull out the old morpher and ranger up. I don't think they'd appreciate that. I've got to be crazy, maybe; I guess it's the old Ranger instinct talking again, but I just feel like anything that happens, I'll get through it. Even her. I've got to be crazy, but I'm doing it. I'm going._

The decision made, Tommy put his RSVP in the mail, saying he would attend. With that, Tommy thought three things. First, _Well, now I gotta pack._ Second, _I hope I'm not making a big mistake._ And finally, _Well, here we go again, Oliver. You've gone and stepped right into a trap. But this time, you may not get out without suffering major consequences._


	4. Road Trip, Baby!

Chapter 4

Road Trip, Baby!

The next day, a young man in a red soccer jersey stepped off the bus and walked across the field at his alma mater, Reefside High School. The young man held a soccer ball under his left arm and on his right forearm he proudly wore a gold armband, signifying that he was the captain of his team. The jersey bore the name "Reefside United" along with a sponsorship logo on the front; on the back it carried the number 13 along with the young man's last name: McKnight. As he gazed at his surroundings, Conner couldn't help thinking,_ It's good to be back._

Conner looked around with a big smile on his face, until he noticed a guy wearing a blue polo shirt and jeans sitting on a bench; eyes glued to the screen of his laptop. Conner's grin grew even wider as he headed right to the bench where the other guy was sitting.

"Hey, geek," Conner said, the grin growing even wider still.

Ethan James looked up from his laptop and, upon seeing who had addressed him, smiled. "Eh, what's up, jock?" he said in his best cartoon voice.

The two embraced, each grinning from ear to ear. "Dude, how've you been?" Ethan asked. "How's Reef U. treating you?"

"Check it out, bro." Conner grinned and flashed his armband.

"No way, captain? Nice, bro. How'd you manage that?"

"Eh, a couple extra time goals late last season. Coach likes that I never give up."

"Well, it's true. I've never, ever seen you quit."

"So what are you working on, Ethan?"

"Take a look, man." Ethan scooped up his laptop and sat down again, while Conner sat down alongside him. "I decided since I play so many online games, why not make one? I'm going with a little platformer-slash-side scrolling brawler. Check out the character models."

"Hey… is that one…?"

"Yep. It's based off you."

"That's pretty darn good."

"Well, I'm not Trent when it comes to art, but I think I did pretty well."

"Not bad at all, my friend."

"OK, this next one is based off me."

"Umm, dude… that's way off."

"What? No way, this is near perfect."

"You are nowhere near as buff as me, bro."

"Aw, c'mon man. I'm entitled to a little creative license."

"Well, it's supposed to be based off reality, but I'd say it's just a little bit skewed."

"Skewed? I didn't even know you knew that word, dude."

"You're solid, dude; but you ain't got these guns. Oh yeah, ha-ha." Conner flexed his biceps.

Ethan elbowed Conner in the arm. "What?" Conner asked, acting innocent.

"Whatever. Moving along…"

Conner's eyes bugged out of his head and then he burst out laughing. "Dude, that one's perfect."

"I know, ain't it?" Ethan grinned devilishly.

"And you're sure Trent didn't help you with this?"

"Nope. It's all me, baby."

"It looks just like her. It's freaking awesome."

"Freaking sweet, you mean." The guys pounded fists.

"How 'bout freaking wrong?" A third voice interjected. As soon as this person spoke, Conner and Ethan spun around to see where the voice was coming from, though they were certain they knew who it came from.

"That looks absolutely nothing like me." As they suspected, Kira Ford walked right up to them. She was wearing a yellow plaid skirt with black leggings and a black t-shirt which read "The Cause," the name of her band.

"Ooooh. Busted," Conner said with a wicked grin on his face.

"Shut up, Conner," Ethan snarled.

The three old friends exchanged hugs. They'd been through a lot together. However, someone was missing.

"Where's Trent?" Conner wondered.

"He's got a class," Kira answered. "He said he'd catch up later."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go surprise Dr. O." Ethan said with an even bigger grin on his face than before.

It had been an hour, but the three friends still couldn't find their old teacher.

"Where the heck is he?" Conner wondered aloud. "Summer meetings are supposed to be faculty only. He should easy to find."

"Faculty only being the key words, as in not even alumni allowed," an authoritative voice called out. The three friends turned around, seeing a woman in a black suit with long black hair and a rueful smile on her face. "Although, being as it's you three, I suppose I can make an exception. But just this once, all right?"

"Hey, Elsa, how you doing? Kira smiled back. It was tough to believe that the woman in front of them had been a powerful warrior under Mesogog's employ. Thankfully, she was free of that now.

"Ahem. That's Principal Bennett to you, guys. Although it is good to see you all again."

"Hey, do you know where Dr. O. is?" Conner asked. "We came to surprise him."

"Well, he's not here," Elsa replied. "If I remember correctly, he said he was going to his high school reunion in Angel Grove. He won't be back until the start of the next school year."

"Aw, man," Ethan groaned. "Now what?"

"Want to head over to Hayley's?" Conner suggested.

"I'm down with that," Ethan replied. "I'll send Trent a text."

"OK, Hayley's it is," Kira agreed. "Thanks, Elsa. See ya." The three headed out.

"It's… oh, never mind," Elsa called out as they left. She couldn't help but shake her head and smile.

The three former Rangers had adjourned to Hayley's Cyberspace, the common hangout for folks their age, and somewhere they were quite familiar with.

"Of all the days Dr. O. had to go to his high school reunion, did today have to be the day?" Conner grumbled, sipping his milkshake.

"Bad luck for us, I guess," Ethan said glumly, still working on his game.

"Oh well, Dr. O. does have a life, you know," Kira noted calmly. "He's got to go see his old home."

"Yeah, Angel Grove; the birthplace of the Power Rangers," Ethan sighed. "I wish I could see that place for myself someday."

"I'm with ya there, Ethan," Conner agreed. "Dr. O.'s little history video made it look sweet. It would be cool to pay homage to our predecessors."

There was silence for a moment as the reality sunk in. Then, slowly, Conner and Ethan's faces lit up like Christmas trees. For they had just gotten the exact same idea at the exact same time.

"Ethan, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"If I am, it would be the best idea I've ever heard. And since it came out of your head, that's really saying something."

"Normally, I'd be offended when you say something like that, but when you're right, you're right." Conner chuckled, quoting something Ethan had said a few years back.

"Um, hello? What are you guys talking about?" Kira interjected.

"Elementary, my dear," Conner replied, in a Sherlock Holmes tone of voice. "If Dr. O. can't come to us, we will go to him."

"What? What do you mean, 'we will go to him'? What do you… oh no." It dawned on Kira what they were thinking. "You can't possibly mean…?"

"Oh, yes I do." Conner answered with a devilish grin.

Ethan raised his fist and confirmed the idea. "ROAD TRIP, BABY!" He yelled, causing everyone in the place to turn in his direction. "Sorry 'bout that," he said sheepishly. "Sorry. Sorry."

"You've got to be kidding! Have you lost your minds? Are you seriously considering crashing Dr. Oliver's high school reunion?"

"We're not gonna crash nothing, Kira. We'll simply find Dr. O. before the festivities start. Then we pay tribute to those who came before us, and then we are out of there." Ethan had everything planned already.

"Don't you think Dr. O.'s gonna be a little bit mad that we showed up at his high school reunion?" Kira growled, still not believing what she was hearing.

"Ethan already said we're staying out of the way, Kira," Conner answered. "Besides this is Angel Grove we're talking about here. The Mecca of Rangerdom. Haven't you wanted to see Power Rangers history?"

"Um, we are Power Rangers history," Kira hissed. "We don't need to see it. We were there."

"Hey, guys. What's going on?" Trent Fernandez-Mercer had finally arrived.

"It's about time, Trent. How are you, buddy?" Conner greeted Trent as they embraced.

"How was class, man?" Ethan asked.

"Pretty good. Learned how to apply some shading techniques."

Kira just scowled.

"What's wrong?" Trent asked?

"Trent, Conner and Ethan have come up with the worst idea ever," Kira groaned.

"Come on this idea rocks," Ethan countered. "And besides, you got to come with us. We're a team; we need the whole team to be together for this to happen."

"Yeah and besides, you're the only one with a car," Conner added. "You're our ride, dude."

"Dude!" Ethan growled, smacking Conner upside the head. "He's not our chauffer."

"I never said he was," Conner backpedaled. "Although that would be cool."

"DUDE!" Ethan growled smacking Conner again.

"What? We could take turns."

"OK, back up a second," Trent told them. "What's the idea and why do you need my dad's car?"

"Wait, your dad's car?" Ethan asked.

"Yeah, my dad says I can use it to go to class, to get groceries, or if there's an emergency. Otherwise he holds the keys. So what's the idea?"

"We're gonna go see Dr. O.'s hometown while he's there," Conner told him. "Power Rangers history waits for us there."

"See, I told you it was a dumb idea," Kira grumbled.

"Hmm, I don't know about that. It's kind of dangerous if we get caught. But I think it could be fun."

"WHAT?" Kira was shocked. "Are you actually considering this? This is crazy!"

"It is a crazy idea, that's true. But I think it'll be fun."

"So, you're in?" Conner asked.

Trent took a deep breath. "Yeah, I'm in."

"YES!" Conner and Ethan high fived. "Thanks, bro. We owe you one," Conner told Trent.

"Well, Kira, it's three against one. Care to change your vote?" Ethan asked.

"I…ugh. Alright, fine, I'm in. Someone has to keep you guys out of even more trouble."

"One problem," Trent wondered. "How do I convince my dad to use the car?"

"Just tell him it's for educational purposes," Ethan told him. "It'll be cool."

"Alright. But you guys are all chipping in for gas, got it?"

"Gotcha," Conner agreed.

"Roger that." Ethan confirmed.

"No problem." Kira concurred.

"All right," Ethan said. "Reefside United is going on its first road trip. You mind me using your team's name, Conner?"

"I'm OK with it. I'm the captain after all."

"So," Ethan reviewed, "we've got the soccer captain, the gamer, the rocker, and the artist; all on their way to see history. Wouldn't have seen this coming a while back."

"You're going to have the time of your life with this, aren't you, Ethan?" Kira asked, a grin on her face starting to grow.

"I have a feeling we'll all have the time of our lives," Conner smiled as the Reefside quartet headed off to Dr. Mercer's.


	5. Patrols and Parties

Chapter 5

Patrols and Parties

Silver Hills

It was a slow day for the Silver Guardians. There had been a lot of days like these in the past few years. Sure, there was the occasional bank robbery and even the odd hostage situation, but Wes Collins felt like there was just so little action these days that the only things he had to do were listening to the patrol radio and bugging his best friend and partner, Eric Myers. He was particularly good at the latter, and Eric would tell him so many times. Eric was serious in nature, but knew how to have fun when he wanted; while Wes was more carefree, but could get serious when the time came. They were yin and yang, but that was made them such good partners and good friends.

On this day, Wes and Eric were hanging out on patrol. Wes was sitting back daydreaming, wondering what there was to do. Eric was finishing up reports and still wondering when there would be some action. (Well,) Wes thought, (there's a reason I've got a partner. Time to bug Eric again.)

"Hey, Eric; I don't know about you, but I'm bored," Wes told his partner.

"Yep, another slow day," Eric said with an equally bored tone of voice.

"Wow, I never thought you'd agree with me."

"There's nothing happening. Heck, I'd take a routine traffic stop right about now."

"Speeders? Yeesh, you are desperate."

"Yeah, well, with no mutant attacks, you gotta hope for something to spark your interest. Having no action for a while can take a lot out of a guy."

Wes pondered Eric words for a second. Then, a grin crept across his face. "Ah, I see why you'd take a traffic stop right about now. That's how you met _her_, if I remember correctly."

"What? What are you talking about, Wes?"

"You know, that girl, the Air Force pilot; what was her name again? Tea? Tanner?"

"Taylor."

"Oh, yeah. Duh. I mean, she was a Ranger, you think I'd remember," Wes said with mock innocence.

"Yeah, what's your point?"

"Haven't you talked to her?"

"Not for a few years."

"What? Man, you had a good thing going there. What happened?"

"She went back to the Air Force, got sent out to Iraq or Afghanistan afterwards. Haven't heard from her since."

"So you think…?"

"Nah. She's fine. If anyone can make it, it's her."

"Yeah, you're right. Hey, wanna go get lunch?"

"Ah, sure. But tell me something, Wes. Why are you so concerned?"

"Your girlfriend may be thousands of miles away, but at least she's here now. My girlfriend's 1,000 years in the future. I can't even talk to her."

"She's not my girlfriend; and remember, that's only for emergencies."

"I know, I know."

"So, where'd you wanna go for lunch?"

"Hmmm…there's that new Chinese buffet near the clock tower."

"Wes, I'm not paying for a buffet when I probably won't eat anywhere near as much as you."

"OK, what do you suggest?"

"How 'bout that salad bar near your place? Nice prices, good food. Bet you haven't had a salad in a while."

"Are you saying I'm fat, buddy?"

"Nah, I'm just saying you could eat better."

"OK, we got buffet vs. salad bar. How 'bout rock-paper-scissors? Loser buys?"

"And I assume winner chooses?"

"You got it."

"Best of seven?"

"Of course."

"You're on." Eric and Wes usually played rock-paper-scissors to settle petty disputes, like where to go for lunch, or who got the last hot wing.

"Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!"

"Paper covers rock," Wes smiled. "Collins: one, Myers: nothing."

"Whatever. It's only one."

"Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!"

"Same thing, gotcha again. Two-nothing: me," said Wes. "Buffet, here we come."

"It's not over yet."

"Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!"

"Scissors cuts paper. Two to one. Back in the game," Eric stated.

"So it won't be a sweep. I'll still win."

"We'll see."

"Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!"

"Umm…what was that?" Eric asked, bemused.

"Uh… I think I just threw Spock." Wes's hand was in the "Live Long and Prosper" sign.

"Been watching that show again, huh?"

"What? It's a good show."

"Illegal throw, my point, two all."

"Fine."

"Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!"

"Scissors cuts paper. Three-two, Myers," Eric said. "Looks like you're getting your greens today, Wes."

"I'm not going down yet."

"Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!"

"That was lizard!" Wes cried. "No fair!"

"Whoops, sorry. But lizard eats paper anyway."

"Illegal throw, we're tied at three. Guess I'm not the only one who watches that show, huh?"

"It is a good show."

"Alright, next throw wins."

"Let's do it."

"ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS, SHOOT!"

San Angeles

There hadn't been any explorations planned in a few weeks and it was a beautiful day, so Mack Hartford decided to do what he hadn't done in a long time: curl up in the hammock with a good book. Mack was engrossed in his tome as usual, but he just couldn't help but feel that a book based on his life would be awesome. After all, he'd had some adventures that not many would believe. To start, his father, Andrew, was the one who had found the legendary Corona Aurora, "The Crown of The Gods." But when that happened, two brothers who had tried to steal it many centuries ago, Moltor and Flurious were revived.

To collect the jewels of the Corona Aurora, Andrew brought together a very eclectic group: a professional thief, a budding actor, a racecar driver, and possibly the smartest person in the world. Now, Andrew hadn't wanted Mack involved, but Mack stowed away and ended up becoming the Red Ranger of Operation Overdrive. He and his new friends had been in a war with three other factions over the Corona Aurora's jewels: Moltor and his Lava Lizards, Flurious and his Chillers, and Kamdor and Miratrix; masters of deception.

Mack himself had found Tyzonn, a rescue squad leader from another planet, who had been forced to serve Moltor. The team broke Ty loose; using two of the gems of the Corona Aurora restored him to his original form; and after a long decision period, Ty became the Mercury Ranger. Having Ty on the team was great, but it also brought a fourth enemy faction, the Fearcats, into the equation. It was the Fearcats who had captured Vella, Tyzonn's fiancée. After a long, tough road, Mack developed a weird twitch, and it was with that he discovered that he was in fact an android. He tried to keep it a secret, but when he used the Sentinel Battlizer that everyone knew wouldn't work with humans, (thanks a lot, genius) Mack had to reveal the truth.

At the end of it all, the Fearcats were eliminated, but Flurious took possession of Vella. Kamdor imprisoned Miratrix in the same crystal that she released him from. Thankfully, Kamdor was defeated in one-on-one combat. Unfortunately, Flurious took out Moltor and got his hands on the crown and the jewels, covering San Angeles and the surrounding area in a near-apocalyptic blizzard. Mack ended up taking on Flurious one-on-one and sacrificed himself to destroy Flurious. Thanks to the Sentinel Knight and the Corona Aurora, however, Mack was not only revived, but made fully human. Now if that wasn't a story, Mack didn't know what was.

Mack was reaching the best part of the book. The hero had just broken the princess loose from her prison, and together they had fought their way into the villain's lair. It had been a close battle, but the princess's magic had helped the hero hold his own. The fiend and the hero crossed swords and both were ready to strike a final blow…

"Excuse me, Master Mack?" This caused Mack to snap back to reality… and fall out of the hammock. Mack shook it off and saw Spencer, the Hartfords' butler, staring down at him with great concern.

"Oh, goodness, are you all right, Master Mack?"

"I'm fine, Spencer. I've gone through a lot worse, you know that."

"Indeed." Spencer was always concerned for Mack's safety, and Mack always looked upon Spencer as a surrogate uncle. "Your father wants to speak to you, Master Mack. He says he has something to plan with you."

"OK, thanks, Spencer." Mack turned to head inside. "Hey, Spencer, did he tell you what he wanted to plan about?"

"He said that was a surprise."

"O…K. Hey, Spencer, have you read this book yet?"

"Hmmm…The Crimson Defender. I can't say I have."

"It's really good. Go ahead." Mack handed the book to Spencer. "Just don't spoil the ending for me."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

"Sweet. Thanks, Spencer."

Mack headed inside and searched for his father. "Hey, Dad, where you at?"

"Down here," Andrew replied. "In the command center."

The command center? As in Overdrive HQ? Mack hadn't been down there in almost two years. Yet he knew the way by heart and sprinted down to the pole to meet up with his father.

"So what's this about a surprise?" Mack asked Andrew.

"Spencer told you, huh? Well, I've been thinking. It's been almost two years since the end of our great adventure. So I thought we should get the team back together. Catch up and all that. What do you think?"

"Are you kidding me? Dad, that's awesome!" Mack was ecstatic. "When are they coming?"

Andrew smiled and sort of winked towards a spot near the old uniforms.

"They're already here."

"What?" Suddenly…BAM! Something came from out of nowhere and tackled the unsuspecting Mack, pinning him to the floor.

"Dad, what's going on?"

"Ask the mastermind," Andrew answered, his hand pointing towards Mack, or rather, above Mack.

Mack took a second to think. Whatever it was that tackled him was still on top of him, only it seemed to be…invisible.

"Mastermind, huh?" Mack got it now. "Hey, Rose. Why am I not surprised you're behind my current state?"

"Technically, I'm on top of it," said Rose Ortiz as she appeared sitting on Mack's chest. "The look on your face was priceless. Yep, invisibility definitely has its perks."

"Oh, yeah?" Mack grinned. "Well, so does super strength!" Mack activated his technologically enhanced power (which had somehow survived Mack's transition from android to human), and in the blink of an eye, he had not only gotten Rose off him, but had hoisted her up and now held her above his head by the waist with one hand.

"What the… HEY! No fair! Put me down!" Rose squealed.

"Let me think about that…no," said Mack, a devilish grin plastered on his face.

"This isn't funny, Mack. Put me down!"

"And tackling me while you're invisible is? No, I'm going to enjoy this a little longer."

"Jerk."

"Brat."

"I am so going to get you when you put me down."

"Then I just won't put you down. That simple."

"Okay, okay, enough already, I quit, you win, I'm sorry already, just PUT ME DOWN!"

"Alright, fine." Mack lowered Rose back to the floor, chuckling.

"You jerk," Rose growled as she gave Mack the biggest hug she could. Mack just couldn't help but smile as he hugged her right back. Luckily, he had deactivated his super strength.

"Dude, that's perfect. That's worthy of the silver screen. And believe me, I know."

Mack and Rose turned around and saw Dax Lo with a big smile on his face, slow clapping like the perfect moment had arrived. Ronny Robinson and Will Aston were right behind him doing the same. Tyzonn and Vella had also arrived, and though they weren't clapping, they had big smiles on their faces as well.

"What's up, guys?" Mack greeted his friends. "How you doing?"

"Pretty good," Dax answered.

"Not too bad, brother," said Will.

"Eh, can't complain," was the answer Ronny gave.

"We're all right." Tyzonn and Vella said at the same time.

"Okay, question," said Rose. "When Mack lifted me up like a bale of hay, why didn't you guys help me?"

"It was funny," Will answered."

"Exactly, it was straight out of a movie," Dax added. "Man, I wish I had my camera."

"So just because it was funny you leave me scared out of my wits?"

"It's not like Mack would've hurt you," said Ronny, trying to smooth things over. "At least not on purpose."

"Well, what if he'd dropped me? What then?"

"I never would have dropped you," said Mack. "I was in complete control."

"Guys, just let it go," Tyzonn sighed. "This is getting crazy."

"Yes, honestly," Vella added. "Rose, Mack; you two sound like an old married couple."

"What was that?" both Rose and Mack growled.

"WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Right then, Norg showed up. The friendly Yeti had slid down the pole, carrying a big white box. It was Norg who had helped rescue Vella from Flurious.

"Hello, everyone. I heard all the Rangers were getting together again, so I made something for everyone. I hope you like it."

"Sweet. Thanks, Norg," Mack smiled.

"So what do you think it is?" Rose asked.

"Only one way to find out." Mack and Rose pulled open the box and… BOOM! They had whipped cream all over their faces.

"Oopsie. I think I put in a little too much yeast," said Norg.

Mack and Rose stared right at each other. Then a smile crept across Mack's face, Rose snickered, and then giggled, and this led to all-out belly laughter from everyone.

"Oh, that was just awesome," Will laughed. "Maximum Ownage."

Dax was absolutely rolling on the floor. "That is just classic. Why, oh, why didn't I bring my camera?"

"Well, this turned out to be a good idea," Andrew said, shaking his head.


	6. Fire in the Heart

Chapter 6

Fire in the Heart

Briarwood

Business at the Rockporium was booming as usual, a fact that the music store's manager, Xander Bly, was definitely proud of. Ever since Toby Slambrook, the owner, had given him his managerial title, Xander had promised that the place would become the home of Briarwood's music scene. It had been a few years since then, and so far he'd lived up to that promise and then some.

Now, Xander couldn't take all the credit; he would have in earlier years, but not now. He had to give his friends their due. Vida Rocca was still the best DJ in the area, and Xander wouldn't have it any other way. (I still can't believe she kept her hair pink all this time,) Xander thought. (Guess once the Power takes hold, it don't let go.)

Chip Thorn's storytelling abilities always wowed the crowd, and it was his idea to put the music video game stations in. At times when V wasn't spinning her beats, (which wasn't often) people could play the games for free. There were always lines to play the games, and Xander put Chip in charge of making sure everyone got a turn. In fact Xander and Chip had come up with an idea to have tournaments each week, and Toby was all in favor of it.

Xander was proud to see that all was going well…mostly. There was one little problem, though. Vida's sister, Madison, who was the local video documentarian, hadn't quite been herself lately. Xander was worried. Maddy had gone on her break, but she still wasn't back yet, and it had been half an hour. Xander decided to ask Vida if she knew what was wrong with Maddy.

"No clue," Vida responded. "She's just been off for a while."

"I don't know, V. I'm getting kind of worried myself. She hasn't hung out with us for the past two weeks."

"That is unlike her."

"And I haven't seen her with her camera in the past week."

"Definitely unlike Maddy."

"So what do you think?"

"I think there might be something, or maybe someone, on her mind."

"Ah, I get ya. You mind checking in on her."

"No problem," Vida answered stepping off the turntables. "Just make sure nobody touches my equipment, OK?"

"Done."

Vida checked out back and sure enough, Madison was there. She had a red baby blanket in her hands.

"I knew this had to do with him. I could tell from the time of the year."

"Huh? Oh, hey, V. What did you say?"

"I knew this funk you're in had to do with a certain Nick Russell. You still miss him, don't you?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"Pretty much."

Maddy had an embarrassed look on her face. "I can't help it, V. He said he'd come back. I hope he wasn't lying."

"He'll come back. Nick will keep his promise. You have faith in him, right?"

"Of course I do. It's just… I don't know. I just feel like he might end up… just…"

"You think he'll forget about you?"

"Yeah."

"Never going to happen. Nick's not like that. You know it, Maddy."

"But what if he is, V? What if he… what if I lose him, Vida? I…I just couldn't bear it if I never saw him again."

Vida sat down alongside her sister. "Look, Maddy. It's like this: Nick may have been away for who knows how long. But he'll be back. He's always come through for us, right?"

"Right."

"And Nick wouldn't want to let us down, right?"

"Right."

"If there's anything Nick lives for, it's his family and friends, right?"

"Mm-hmm."

"So don't you think Nick feels like he belongs here? He'll definitely be back." Vida smiled then tugged on the blanket. "Besides, you got this. I think he'll want to reclaim it someday."

This made Madison's mood a lot brighter. "Thanks, V. I guess I'd better get back to work, huh?"

"Definitely." The sisters turned and headed back inside.

Meanwhile, two motorcycles rolled into the town limits. On the inside of the lane was a crimson and gold Howler with a purple wolf pattern. In front of it was a custom built Phoenix, white with bright red flame patterns. The two pulled over with the Phoenix a little ahead. The young man on the Phoenix smiled under his helmet having only one thing on his mind,_ I'm home._ And on the bike behind him, the young man's father couldn't help but smile as well.


	7. Chaos Makes Its Way to Earth

Chapter 7

Chaos Makes Its Way to Earth

Somewhere in Space

Gorluce's ship was on its way to Earth. Gorluce himself was in his ready room making his plans. He sat with his back turned to the door, his moonlight silver cape hung over his chair. Gorluce sat writing, contemplating, planning his revenge on all associated with those who had destroyed his comrades. His muscles pulsated under his black and red body suit. A glare came into his blood-red eyes. Zordon of Eltar. That name would burn in his memory for all eternity. That wizard had unknowingly destroyed his friends. If only he had been more careful. If only that witch, Rita, had been more concerned with something besides herself. If only…If only Gorluce himself had been stronger. Then he would have been able to stop what would have happened. Then maybe Asurac and the others would still be alive.

But there would be none of that now. Zordon and Rita were both gone, and Gorluce had spent eons getting stronger, becoming what he knew he had to be. Now his focus was on destroying Zordon's legacy, what he had left behind. The thing that made ordinary men and women into super beings: The Universal Morphing Grid. Destroy that, and the Power Rangers of past, present and future would be destroyed with it. Destroy the Rangers, and Earth was ripe for the picking, and soon the universe would fall to its knees.

But, to gain access to the Grid, he needed to defeat the Rangers on the battlefield and to do that he needed to figure out the things that represented the Rangers' fighting spirit. And so, he would need to recruit some of the most powerful warriors of all time to his cause. He would need to find the most feared warriors that had ever existed, and with the power of Chaos, he could have them. Plus if they ever got any ideas about trying to overthrow him, he could easily destroy them. That was the power of Chaos, destruction and creation. Whatever Gorluce wanted, he could create, and if he could not create it, he would take it. That was what Chaos could do, and only he could wield it. That was why he would be true master of the universe; a title that Zordon had been too weak to fight for, and that Rita had not been ambitious enough to attempt to claim.

The door to the ready room opened and in stepped Gorluce's second in command, Mortis. Mortis was a good friend of Gorluce's old friend Asurac, and the mutual connection led Gorluce to believe that Mortis would make a fine lieutenant. Indeed, Mortis had proved to be quite loyal; so much so that he had become Gorluce's head recruiter and trainer of underlings.

"The troops are ready and the guests have arrived, my lord," said Mortis, bowing.

"Very good. I will address them in a moment," Gorluce responded. Mortis turned and left. _The troops need to understand that my undertaking is not just for myself, it is for them as well,_ Gorluce thought to himself. _We will all bask in the glory of victory. The Power Rangers are all that stand in our way. Total victory must be attained. Those know-nothing, blind followers of the way of Zordon must pay for their crimes. They believe that they do well for their home worlds, but whom do they really serve? Only the people who think one way? I will show them that the way of Chaos is truly superior._

Gorluce headed out to the bridge of his ship. Mortis stood at his right. The troops were spread out across the bridge, with a group of individuals in black cloaks in an inner semi-circle in front of where Gorluce was standing. Gorluce looked upon the scene with a smirk on his face. He saw the troops standing at attention, and the guests in their cloaks sitting in wait for what Gorluce had to say.

"Everyone, from all different planets and species, you have been held in a state of static inability for far too long. Your ambitions, your energy, your passion, have been held in check for far too long. You have been made into pariahs; your names cursed, your hearts tortured, everything that you hold dear taken from you, everything that you want you can never have. And who is responsible? The Power Rangers! They smash your dreams and hopes. They battle you to your destruction over and over again! They think they do what is right, but do they really know? NO! They simply follow the way of Zordon! That fool still wouldn't understand today that many of the peoples he fought against are just like him. We are more alike than they believe. The Power Rangers must pay for following the ways of a fool! The fool may be gone, but his ways live on. We must extinguish the flames of his lies and show that we are truly righteous and just in our cause. We will prove that we are the greatest faction that existed, that we are in fact truly deserving of being masters of the universe. Good and evil can continue to duel, but in the end, it will be Chaos that reigns over all!"

The crowd cheered. The lower troops chanted Gorluce's name. The cloaked beings remained silent.

Gorluce continued. "I am not the only one who believes in Chaos. My guests have been in the war against the Power Rangers, and they can see my way of thinking is right. Now all I need do is gain the Relics of Power and the Universal Morphing Grid will be mine! And with it, Earth and the universe itself will be OURS!"

Again the troops cheered. Gorluce walked away with a smile on his face. "Soon," he said to himself "Soon it will all come to pass. Chaos will reign, and I will lead the glorious revival of freedom throughout the universe."

Mortis came up behind Gorluce. "An excellent rallying of the troops, my lord. Shall I bring our guests into the conference room? I am assuming you have much to speak with them about."

"See to that, Mortis. Our guests must not be kept in the dark as to their parts in this grand plan of mine. Their cooperation is key for the plan to go as smoothly as possible, we need each and every one of them to fulfill their part in this plan. Each one is vital. We cannot have one oversight. Those Power Rangers believe they are righteous and just. I will make them fall to their knees and realize the error of the ways of Zordon of Eltar."

After a small amount of time, Gorluce was seated at the head of a long oval table in his conference room. Mortis was seated at his right. The other seats were each filled by a figure in a long black, hooded robe. There were numerous figures, some taller, some shorter, each different in their own way; all, however had a sinister quality underneath the robes they wore.

"Welcome, my honored guests. It's great to have you here. Each of you has been selected for your, shall we say, connections to the enemy we are facing..."

"We know that," said one of the guests. "Otherwise, we'd all still be in sticky situations. Being stuck is no fun, let me tell you."

"Hmmm…indeed," said another with a very deep voice. "Our connections must be very deep to have been summoned from the very abyss to gain another chance at redemption."

"But why have we been summoned?" asked a third, this one a female. "Some of us have fallen more than once to this enemy."

A gruff voice followed with: "A warrior's spirit burns brightly within me, but is there not honor in admitting defeat?"

"Honor in admitting defeat?" Gorluce asked. "Some of you I would not expect this from. Perhaps you are not who I expected you to be. I must have gotten you confused with other warriors, ones who believe that defeat is honorable."

"I don't know about these fools, but I know I am worthy of your call, Lord Gorluce. If it were up to me, four factions would be united and they would have divided the world in four by now; as such they battled each other to their own destructions, and the Rangers divided and conquered." The figure who was speaking stood up, holding his staff high, revealing a scarlet arm with silver armor lines.

Another female spoke from her seat. "I'm still here, not that anyone cares. And I'm thankful that Lord Gorluce released me from my prison. But the rest of you are fools who don't deserve Lord Gorluce's gracious generosity." This lady crossed her arms and a blue garment flashed under her robe.

"Enough," said Gorluce. "Your petty squabbles mean nothing to me. You all have parts to play in my grand scheme. And it is vital to me that you all play your parts. My strength may not be enough alone, but together we can take the Universal Morphing Grid and Earth with it!"

"I nearly took the Universal Morphing Grid myself!" yelled the one with the scarlet skin. "I put the Overdrive Rangers out of commission, but then that meddling Sentinel Knight brought in a team of past and future Rangers, and when those fools couldn't work together…"

"I don't need the history lesson, you," snarled Gorluce. "I am well aware of what happened. What you needed then, what all of you need now, is the power of Chaos. I told my army that you believed in Chaos, now I need you to make good on my words. Remember, I could easily send you back to whatever situation you were in before you were here. And besides, even in defeat, you are not defeated when you have Chaos with you. Now what do you say, friends? Will you join me? Will you embrace the true power that is Chaos? I don't want anyone to find out what happens when you make a liar out of me."

"If it will give me another shot at the Power Rangers, I'm in," said the first speaker.

"Very well," said the first female.

"For your honor, I shall fight," said the one with the gruff voice.

Eventually, all agreed.

"Thank you, all of you. We are strong together. Those of the way of Zordon shall never know what hit them. The way of Chaos will be strong. It will be a truly glorious day when we arise and take back what is rightfully ours.

"Let us raise our glasses to Chaos and to the final fall of the Power Rangers!"


	8. Breaking Ground

Chapter 8

Breaking Ground

Mariner Bay

It was a great day at the Bay. The City Council had approved the construction of a new Lightspeed Aquabase a few years ago after the original Aquabase had been destroyed in the Lightspeed Rangers' final battle against Queen Bansheera. Captain Bill Mitchell was proud to open the new base for two reasons. One, it brought back fond memories. And two, it brought family pride. Captain Mitchell's son, Ryan, had continued an around the world trek studying buildings of all countries; how they were designed, how they were built, what the meanings behind them were among other things. Eventually, Ryan became an architect and it was he who designed the new Aquabase.

All the old Rangers were in attendance at the opening day ceremony. Ryan was there, of course. Captain Mitchell's daughter and Ryan's sister, Dr. Dana Mitchell, was in attendance. She had closed her private pediatrician practice for the day just so she could be there. Kelsey Winslow, adventure athlete extraordinaire, was in the front row; thinking to herself: _I wonder if I could climb that thing._ Joel Rawlings, "The Sky Cowboy", had shown up; a little late, but ever energetic. Joel's wife, Angela Fairweather-Rawlings, who had been the Lightspeed team's technical advisor, still couldn't believe he had actually flown his stunt plane in. She couldn't really blame him though, and neither could her brother, Clark; who had assisted in some of the technological aspects of the Lightspeed team's weaponry. Joel never wasted an opportunity to make a big entrance, or to please a crowd. Chad Lee, head dolphin trainer at the Mariner Bay Aquarium had put on a dolphin show prior to the main event. And of course, Carter Grayson, now Chief of the Mariner Bay Fire Department, had attended; partly because his duties as chief led him to be there, but Carter would gratefully accept an assignment like this any day.

Captain Mitchell cut the ribbon to thunderous applause. But not all was as it seemed. Deep underground, a voice snarled: "So those pathetic humans think they can build another base on MY hallowed ground? They may have defeated my mate, but they will not defeat me. I shall avenge my queen, my son, and my kind!"

Somewhere Above the Country

The young man, the "Leader of the Broken Hearts" as he called himself; referring to the song by Papa Roach, was at that moment on a plane headed for Miami, that would connect to a flight to California. Having to travel cross-country to find his fortune bit major backside, but at this point he'd go to the stars and back to clear his soul. He knew it was his fault that he was so close to a life of mediocrity, but he didn't figure that he could have changed anything about himself; even if he could have, there was no way he could have saved his mother from her fate, the MRSA and neuropathy ravaging her body until she couldn't go on. He was simply a cursed individual; the world was against him, and even if he changed location it would be the same thing. He was Dead Man Walking, waiting for the day when he would finally be sent to his fate.

But what of the mysterious note he had gotten back home? Could fate have spoken? And what of the woman in yellow, he wondered? Angel or not, she had to have known what was wrong with him when she heard him writing his songs. She had suggested this new place, this Angel Grove. He'd heard of it before. The Power Rangers. He'd seen the stories on TV. He'd even read about them in the newspapers. But things like that just had to be too good to be true, and as they said, if something seemed too good to be true, it probably was. The media did everything these days just to get people to buy their product. Marshall McLuhan, a great Canadian professor, had said "the media is the message." And it wasn't beyond the realm of possibility that the media had cooked up these Power Rangers just to get some business. It wouldn't surprise him much at all to find that they were just a hoax.

But hoax or not, he had to find out. This Angel Grove had been recommended by the woman in yellow. Whether or not she was an angel or just a crazy loon, that remained to be seen, but he would find out. Either way, it was better than what he had at home. It took selling practically everything he had to get that ticket, but get it he did, and now he was going to change his life, one way or another.

"This is your captain speaking," a voice over the intercom stated. "We will be landing in Miami International Airport in approximately 20 minutes. Please fasten your seatbelts and put your trays in the upright positions to prepare for landing. Thank you." The young man followed suit with the other passengers to his annoyance. He was never one for following orders. _Oh well,_ he thought. _I'll just wait at the airport and get something to eat._

A Few Hours Later

When the plane landed in Miami, our young friend checked out a few of the sights at the airport, wrote a little in his notebook, then went through the whole ordeal of going through baggage check and security and boarded the California-bound plane and stayed in his seat as the plane reloaded and the Miami passengers boarded. The young man sat waiting, notebook in hand when he was approached by a woman in black and white. She tapped him on the shoulder.

"My ticket has me seated here. Do you mind?" she asked.

"Oh, sorry," he said, moving his backpack over to his seat.

About 20 minutes later, all the passengers were seated and the plane took off. As soon as the captain had told the passengers that they could unhook their safety belts, the young man retrieved his backpack and pulled his notebook and colored pencils out. He would draw a little, write some notes, then draw some more. This seemed to interest the lady seated next to him and she wondered what he was doing.

"What are you drawing?" she asked.

"A super hero. His name's Xtreme. He has the power of the elements."

"That's cool. You like superheroes?"

"Definitely. That's part of the reason I'm going where I'm going."

"Where you headed?"

"Angel Grove."

"No kidding? That's where I'm going, too. What a coincidence."

"Weird. How come you're going there?"

"High school reunion. It's gonna be great seeing all my old friends. I keep wondering how everyone is all the time, so this is pretty awesome that I finally get to see them again after all this time. What about you, why are you headed to Angel Grove?"

"Trying to turn my life around. I'm trying to claim my fortune on the west coast."

"How will you live?"

"I'll figure it out when I get there, I guess."

"Well, I could give you a ride to Angel Grove as soon as the plane lands."

"That'd be cool, thanks. Say, I never caught your name…"

"Kimberly."

"Morgan."

"That's a nice name. So tell me, Morgan, how come you're interested in Angel Grove?"

"I've heard some stories about that place. I want to see if they're real."

"Like what? Tell me."

"Hmmm…"

"I know what he means," said a voice behind them.

"Yep, got it all figured out, right Bulky?"

Kimberly and Morgan turned around to see two guys with big grins on their faces. One was rather large with a purple shirt and black jeans and the other rather thin with a gray shirt and khakis.

Kimberly recognized them immediately. "Bulk, Skull, what are you doing here?"

"Well, it's great to see ya, Kimmy," said Bulk. "Skull and I were working on a little dream of ours."

"Yep, we're going to see a baseball game in every big league team's home park," said Skull.

"We got to see Tampa and Miami this week," Bulk continued.

"And now we're headed back for the big reunion before we shove off on the west coast run," Skull finished.

"So, Kim, who's your new friend?" asked Bulk.

"Oh, sorry. Bulk, Skull, this is Morgan. Morgan, these are Farkus Bulkmeyer and Eugene Skullovich, A.K.A. Bulk and Skull."

"How ya doin', guys," Morgan greeted them.

"Hey."

"What's up?"

"Not much."

"So, it's obvious why the new guy is headed for the Grove," said Bulk.

"The food?" Skull guessed.

"No, numbSkull." Bulk grumbled. "The Power Rangers. He wants to see the home of the originals."

"So they're real?" Morgan asked.

"You betcha. And we even know who some of them are, too."

"Yep," said Skull. "But we're sworn to secrecy. If everyone knew, it'd be a disaster. Imagine all the media attention they'd get. They'd never get any sleep, right Bulky?"

"Right, Skull."

"So do you guys have anything to do on this flight? I'm getting bored talking about all this," said Morgan. "I'd rather see it for myself when I get there."

"Well," Skull said to him, "we just happened to bring our Power Rangers chess set with us. I'll play ya if you want.

"Alright, sure," Morgan responded.

"I get winner," Bulk called.

So Skull pulled the chess set out from the carrying case above the seats, switched seats with Kimberly and set up the game. Morgan wasn't sure about these new people, but there seemed to be something different about them from the people back home. These guys didn't seem to be the type to ridicule or make fun of people, especially Kim. Morgan wondered if he may have stumbled upon what the woman in yellow was talking about when she had recommended Angel Grove. Everything happened for a reason, right? What that reason was, Morgan did not know, but he hoped that he would find out soon and that it would be a good thing that came out of all this.


	9. Old Friends and New Life

Chapter 9

Old Friends and New Life

Mirinoi

Karone Kodra had invited her brother Andros and all their friends on the Astro Megaship to visit her and her friends on Mirinoi a few days before, to which Andros had gratefully accepted. Now Karone was rushing all over Terra Venture, which had been turned into the capital city of Mirinoi, thanks to Damon Henderson and the engineering crew and Kai Chen and the research crew working together to find power sources based on the natural resources Mirinoi had to offer.

Karone was trying to make preparations in the last few minutes before her brother and his team arrived when Leo Corbett happened to find her. "Hey, Karone," Leo greeted her with a smile.

"Oh, hey, Leo," Karone smiled back. "I'm just getting ready for when Andros and the rest of the guys get here."

"I heard they were coming," Leo replied, "It's going to be great."

"It's been so long since I've seen my brother. I can't wait. See ya later, Leo."

"See ya." Leo headed off to continue his business as Karone went to finish her preparations.

A few hours later; Leo, Karone, Kai, Damon, the native Miranoid Maya Lunara, Kendrix Morgan, and Leo's brother Mike were waiting at the designated rendezvous point, and just at that moment a blue and red space craft came floating across the trees came to the clearing, hovered to a stop and opened its hatch. Out stepped Andros Kodra, Red Space Ranger. He immediately rushed out and embraced his sister.

"Haven't seen you in a long time, Karone," said Andros.

"I missed you too, Andros."

"What's up, Leo?" Andros asked his fellow Red Ranger. "Are you doing well?"

"Can't complain."

"I guess I should bring everyone out. Come on out, guys." Andros called to the Megaship.

With that, Ashley Hammond, Cassie Chan, Carlos Vallerte, T.J. Johnson and Zhane Platoro stepped out and greeted everyone.

"Sorry we're late, Princess," Zhane quipped, "but we had to pick up a friend."

"So this is Mirinoi, huh?" came a voice from inside the Astro Megaship. "Not that bad. I like it already." Then out stepped a younger man in blue jeans and a navy blue denim jacket.

"Justin Stewart," T.J. introduced, "these are the Galaxy Rangers: Leo, Karone, Mike, Maya, Kai, Damon, and Kendrix. Guys, this is Justin, the Blue Turbo Ranger."

"Nice to meet you guys," said Justin, shaking each one's hand.

"Right back at you," said Leo.

"Always nice to meet a fellow Blue," Kai said.

"Likewise," said Justin.

"So what do you guys wanna do?" asked Damon.

"I brought a bunch of gloves and all that," said T.J. "How 'bouts a little batting practice?"

"Fine by me," Kendrix replied. "I played softball in high school. I bet I could strike you out, T.J."

"Do I smell a challenge?"

"Indeed, you do."

"Oh, I accept. Let's do this."

"We'll take you to the baseball field in Terra Venture."

"Alright, let's go."

"Hey, Ashley wanna go see the Galactabeasts?" Maya asked.

"Sure. I haven't seen them in so long."

"Karone, you want to come with us?"

"OK. We'll catch up with you guys later, OK, Andros?"

"You got it."

The Rangers, minus Karone, Ashley, and Maya, headed towards to the baseball field in Terra Venture. T.J. and Andros had grabbed T.J.'s baseball equipment that T.J. had brought with him from his job as a baseball coach, so he had plenty of gloves and balls and a couple of bats. Everyone warmed up with a few long tosses and ground balls as each player took a couple swings in preparation for the showdown that was about to occur.

"All right, Miss Morgan," said T.J. "Let's rock."

"You got it," Kendrix said, taking the pitcher's mound. T.J. grabbed his favorite bat and stepped into the batter's box. Leo stepped in behind the plate to catch while Andros took his place behind him to umpire. Everyone else took positions around the field.

"Play ball!" Andros shouted.

Kendrix looked in for the sign from Leo, wound up and fired. It was a little high. Ball one. The next pitch was right over the plate and waist high for a strike. The third pitch was inside and low making the count two and one. The next pitch looked good. T.J. swung…and missed.

"Strike Two!" shouted Andros.

"You're in trouble now, Teej," said Kendrix.

"We'll see."

Kendrix wound up and threw again. CRACK! A deep drive to left field! "See ya!" shouted T.J., already starting his home run trot. But the ball was curving to the left…

"Foul Ball!" Andros called. "Back you come, Teej."

"You got lucky," T.J. growled.

"This pitch won't be luck," Kendrix grinned. She stretched, wound up and threw. T.J. saw it clean, swung…and missed!

"Strike Three! He's out!" Andros shouted.

"Ha! Gotcha!" Kendrix yelled.

"No way! I don't believe this!" T.J. groaned.

Suddenly, the three girls that were out of the action came running into the field. "You guys, you're not going to believe what I just heard," Ashley said excitedly.

"It's big news, isn't it, Maya?" said Karone.

"Yep. A new Galactabeast is about to be born!"

"Really? That is big news! This we've got to see." said a shocked Leo.

Maya led the 13 other Rangers to the site of the temple.

"It says here that a white Galactabeast will be born when great powers are gathered together." Maya said, translating the ancient text. "I guess that means all of us united."

Just at that moment, a bright light shone from a jewel atop the temple. The Red Lion, the Blue Gorilla, the Green Condor, the Yellow Wolf, and the Pink Wildcat Galactabeasts all stepped towards the temple. The Rangers matching them did the same. Suddenly, a white light shone into the temple, then reflected through a jewel above a porthole. Appearing in the light was a white leopard. The newest Galactabeast had arrived.

"Isn't she beautiful?" Maya said in wonder.

"I know," Karone said. "And I have a feeling we're going to be good friends." Karone stepped ahead and into the light and the Leopard Galactabeast looked toward her. "It's okay," Karone whispered. "I'm your friend." The Leopard looked into Karone's eyes and lowered its head as if to say "I trust you."

"She's already bonding with it," said Leo with a smile on his face.

"Karone always had a way with animals," Andros responded. "Even before Darkonda took her, she always seemed to get along well with them." And the way she and the newest Galactabeast were getting along, this certainly seemed to be the case.


	10. Looking Both Ways At Once

Chapter 10

Looking Both Ways At Once

Newtech City, 2030

Space Patrol Delta Earth Commander Sky Tate couldn't shake the feeling that something big was about to happen. He'd had this feeling for a few weeks now, but he couldn't figure out why. Bridge Carson, current B-Squad Red Ranger, and Sky's best friend, kept telling him that he was just stressed out over things; Z Delgado and Syd Drew, Yellow and Pink Rangers, respectively, told Sky that he was just not quite used to being in the old dog's shoes yet. Even the newest faces on the squad, Matt Harvey and Ken Wong, were behind their leader, saying that maybe he just needed a vacation.

But Sky just couldn't quite get it out of his head. Maybe he would ask Commander Cruger for some leave time, no more than a week, two at most. Sky was still a hard worker and being Commander of S.P.D. on Earth had major responsibilities that he couldn't shirk. He had a duty to perform, and he couldn't expect anyone to perform that duty but him. It was what Commander Cruger expected of him, what his father would expect of him, and what he expected of himself.

"Sky, come in," Boom Howard's voice came through the monitor. Boom was still most well known around S.P.D. Headquarters as test pilot for Dr. Kathryn Manx's gadgets, but lately he'd been branching out into other matters, such as keeping watch and monitoring messages.

"What is it, Boom?" Sky asked.

"There's a top priority message for you on line 1. It's Commander Cruger."

"Put it through, Boom."

"You got it."

As the call was connected, Sky wondered why Commander Cruger would call at this time. And if it was urgent, what was the matter? Could this be the something big that Sky was thinking was going to happen. Perhaps there was only one way to know…

The S.P.D. insignia flashed as the connection was completed.

"Commander Cruger, good to hear from you," Sky answered as he saluted.

"Commander Tate, you're looking a little off. Is something wrong?"

"Permission to speak frankly, sir?"

"Of course."

"I'm worried. I can't shake the feeling something bad is going to happen. It's been tugging at me for a couple weeks now and I just can't put it to rest."

"I see. Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but something has happened. I'm on my way to Earth now. Have your squad ready by 0900 hours for a top secret mission briefing."

"Understood, sir."

"And, Sky?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Tell no one else except Dr. Manx and Boom. This is for B-Squad only."

"Understood, sir."

The next day at 9:00 A.M., B-Squad was assembled on the main bridge. Lieutenants Carson, Delgado and Drew and Cadets Harvey and Wong stood lined up with Commander Tate in front of them. Dr. Manx and Boom stood to the side.

"Why do you think Commander Cruger needed to see us?" Syd asked.

"Don't know; but if he does, you can bet it's a big reason," Z said.

"I'm guessing some major criminal escaped and they need us to track them down," Ken surmised.

"But that's what we always do," said Matt. "What should make this top secret thing necessary?"

"Maybe the big dog just wanted to see us on the down low and needed us to be here to keep us on our toes. But it's got to be important, definitely," said Bridge.

"I can assure you that this is serious. Doggie wouldn't call a top secret meeting for no reason." Kat assured.

"But why would I be invited?" Boom wondered.

"WE DON'T KNOW!" said everyone else.

"Commander on the bridge!" Sky announced as Commander Anubis Cruger stepped into the room. B-Squad saluted as he stepped towards them. Cruger saluted in return. "It's good to see you again, Mr. Tate," he said to Sky. He turned his attention to the at-attention B-Squad. "At ease." B-Squad relaxed. "Good to see you again Mr. Carson. Miss Delgado. Miss Drew. Mr. Harvey and Mr. Wong, I've heard good things about you two, also. It's good to finally meet you in person."

"Thank you, sir."

"But sadly this is not the time for compliments. I have come for a very important reason. Prepare yourselves: Emperor Gruumm has escaped."

This sent shock throughout the room.

"We don't know how it happened, but Gruumm's containment card and a few others came up missing last search. The security cameras picked up a dark flash coming into the containment area at the time of the escape, we couldn't get an ID on the culprit, and what they plan to do with Gruumm is anyone's guess, but we believe that they may be headed to the past. We picked up the audio of the incident. I'll play it back now:"

Cruger loaded the file into the computer and played it: "The lord will be so proud. This one will be in, so will this one, this one no, this one yes. It will be glorious. The lord will release them from their containment and they will be brought back into the past and not have to worry about those pesky Power Rangers. Those who follow the way of Zordon will finally fall! Chaos be praised!"

"So the audio came from this dark flash, sir?" asked Matt.

"That's the only assumption we can make from this yes," said Cruger.

"And whoever this is mentioned some lord and Chaos as a proper noun, like a sort of cult," Ken summarized.

"So we have to track this dark flash down and possibly fight Gruumm again? Not fun," said Bridge.

"Tell me about it," said Z with a shudder.

"Don't worry, Rangers, we've beaten Gruumm once before, we'll beat him again," said Cruger with authority. "Granted, some of the faces may have changed; but we still are a team, and we will work as a team…" Suddenly Cruger stopped his pep talk and sniffed the air. "Someone's here… the scent's familiar…"

"Bridge," Syd whispered, "sweep the room."

"Right." Bridge pulled off a glove and used his aura reading ability to scan the room for intruders. "Hmm…got something…someone we all know."

"There's only one person I know who would pull a stunt like this," Z growled. "Jack, get out here and give me a hug, bro."

"Dang. I guess the jig is up, huh?" Jack Landors stepped through the wall and into the room. "Oh well, I guess I was bound to get caught eventually."

"It's been a while since you last visited," Z said as they embraced. "How'd you know about the top secret meeting?"

"Piggy. He has a few friends of his sweeping the place. That's how he found out."

"How's Ally?" Sky asked.

"She's good. We're doing well at the shop."

"Mr. Landors, this is a surprise. Normally I frown on civilians sneaking in on secret meetings, but as it's you I suppose I can let it slide this one time."

"Thank you, sir. So how've you been, Commander?"

"Rather well considering the circumstances, Jack."

"I heard. If you need me, I'll support you from the stands."

"Actually, I have an idea. Now that you're here, Jack, we need everyone we can get, so will you consider returning to active duty?"

"I don't think so, sir. I'd have to talk to Ally about it even if I considered it."

"We need you, Jack," Z said. "You've got experience not all of us have. You could be a big help if Grumm really is back."

"I know, Z, but I left S.P.D. 5 years ago. I'm not sure there's a place for me here anymore."

"C'mon Jack, there's always a place for you here," Syd said.

"You're a part of the family, Jack. You know it. As long as you want it, you can come here," said Bridge.

"But you guys have all been promoted," said Jack. "There's no Ranger power for me now."

"Maybe," said Kat. "But I've been developing new technology that could come in handy for this mission and I can't think of anyone better than you to use it."

"Ooh, new gadgets," said Boom. "Do I get to test them out?"

"Of course."

"Sweet!"

"One day, Jack," said Cruger. "Think about it for one day. If you still say no, we'll go without you."

"All right. I'll think about it, sir."

"Thank you. The rest of you: mention the details of this mission to no one. We leave tomorrow. Time is of the essence. We need to gather information about this new enemy as quickly as possible. Tomorrow we travel to the past."

That night, when closing time came around, Jack was still deep in thought about his offer from Commander Cruger. Ally Samuels could tell that Jack had had an off day, that his mind hadn't been completely on work. Ever since she, Jack, and Piggy had formed the charity wing of Samuels' Department Store, Jack had been vital in convincing Ally's family to fund the project. In about 5 years' time, they had given clothing to thousands of NewTech citizens, who were always grateful for the effort. Jack, having lived his life on the streets, knew what these people went through. So he had been honored to give back to the community.

But on this day, Jack had been walking around listlessly, going through the motions of his tasks as if in a trance. Ally could tell when Jack wasn't himself, and this was one of those times. She had to see what was wrong.

"Hey, Jack, what's up?" she asked.

"Oh, hey, Ally. Not much, I guess," he responded.

"You okay? You seem a little distracted."

"Yeah, I'm fine, I've just… I've just got some things on my mind."

"What do you mean by that?"

"He means his old friends, that's what he means," said Piggy, butting in as if he were already in the conversation, which he was now. "Speaking of which, Jack, what was the reason the Big Dog showed up today? I heard something bad happened, but my sources couldn't get any details."

"It was bad, alright. But I can't tell you guys. Sworn to secrecy."

"We're your friends, Jack. We can keep a secret," said Ally.

"I may not have a perfect track record when it comes to S.P.D.," said Piggy, "but when comes to keeping secrets, I score 100%."

"Yeah, right; as in 100% of NewTech City will know by tomorrow morning," scoffed Jack.

"I'm serious on this," Piggy said with a pleading look. "Please tell us."

"Yeah, Jack," said Ally. "If this is a big S.P.D. confidential deal, we won't tell."

"Definitely. I don't want to have to go in one of those containment thingies," said Piggy. "Just the thought of it makes me shake."

Jack shook his head, his dreadlocks bouncing. "All right, all right. I know I'm going to regret this, but here goes: Gruumm's back."

"Brrr…and I thought confinement was bad. This puts the creep-o-meter into hyper mode," Piggy said, shivering.

"So that's why you've been off today. You've had that to worry about," said Ally. "I'd be worried, too, knowing that."

"That's not all," Jack continued. "Commander Cruger has asked me to come back to active duty. He says he needs all the help he can get."

"Oh…I see."

"I told them I wasn't sure I could and…"

"Jack, if they need you, then go."

"I don't know, Ally. I just don't feel like they do need me. The squad's filled out and they seem to have been getting along just fine without me. Besides, my place is here, with you guys."

Piggy stepped forward. "If you ask me, Jacko; from what I heard S.P.D. would be glad to have you back. But if you think they don't need you, then who am I to judge?"

"Just do what your heart tells you to do," Ally told him. "We'll support whatever decision you make."

"But if you do decide to go, try to come back in one piece. We do need you here, after all."

"All right. I need some time to think, okay guys?"

"No problem."

With that, Ally and Piggy turned and left Jack alone to contemplate his big decision. It seemed like S.P.D. needed him, but was Jack ready to drop his life and respond to the call? With Grumm back, Commander Cruger was right in the fact that S.P.D. would need all the help they could get, but did they really need Jack? Jack's S.P.D. days were some of the best of his life, but that was the past; he had moved on to the private sector. He and Ally had long been considered an item, but both dismissed the idea, each saying that they were nothing more than friends. Jack had secretly wondered if there could be more in store, but he dared not cross that line, fearing he would lose her friendship if he did. Jack wasn't sure of which way to turn and he had a feeling that this decision could effect his standing both ways. In the end Jack followed Ally's advice and decided to go with what felt right in his heart. Now all he had to do was tell them his decision and hope that their reaction wouldn't bite him. He walked over to them. "I've decided," he said.


	11. The Heart of the Matter

Chapter 11

The Heart of the Matter

Turtle Cove, Present Time

He stood at the gravestones, recalling the story that he and his friends had uncovered a few years ago:

Richard and Elizabeth were professors at Turtle Cove University and had been sent with their friend and colleague Viktor to investigate ancient ruins. Viktor had been in love with Elizabeth, but Richard was already engaged to marry her. Viktor had been asked to be Richard's best man, and he had begrudgingly accepted. But Viktor's jealousy would be the downfall of them all. The legend of the temple was that the one who consumed the symbols of the creatures that inhabited the temple would gain whatever they desired, but at a terrible price; they would become one of the creatures, a heartless being bent on destruction. Viktor Adler ignored the warnings and ate the seeds, thus his jealous heart drove him to madness, driving him to destroy Richard and Elizabeth; and their son was lost, presumed gone as well.

But he was not gone. A local tribe had found him and raised the orphan boy until he came of age and was ready to face his destiny. He was met up with new friends and was chosen by Princess Shayla, keeper of the Animarium, as a guardian of Turtle Cove against the Org threat, a Wild Force Power Ranger.

Now, Cole stood at these gravestones as he did this time every year, reflecting on his parents' lives and their story. He was the keeper of that story now, and of Viktor Adler's. Adler had swallowed an Org heart to become a true Org when he was found out to be a human by his underlings. It took everything the Wild Force Rangers had to take him out and cut through that heart, but with the power of the Animarium and their united strength, they pulled through.

Cole rested flowers at his parents' graves, knowing his parents were at peace. He did the same at Dr. Adler's grave, too, his yearly sign of forgiveness. With that done, Cole sat down on the bench across from the gravestones. He readjusted his trademark red headband and thought, (Mom, Dad, wherever you are, I hope you both are proud of me. I know you two are watching me. I hope I make you happy.)

It was near noon and people were headed off on their daily business. Cole figured he would do the same when suddenly someone tapped him on the shoulder. Cole turned around and saw a figure in a black hooded robe.

"Can I help you?" Cole asked.

"Actually, yes; I'm looking for a grave to pay my respects to. The name is Evans."

"That's right here; I'll take you to them." The figure in black followed Cole to his parents' graves.

"Hmm… 'Here lie Richard and Elizabeth Evans; devoted teachers, parents and friends.' There must be some mistake. The Evans I'm looking for isn't here."

"Which Evans are you looking for?"

"Cole Evans."

Cole was taken aback, but did not reveal himself. "I don't know what you're trying to pull, but there's no grave by that name. That person was found to be alive a while ago."

"Hmm… no grave by that name you say… oh, that's right; I was supposed to find someone by that name, destroy them, and dig their grave. How silly of me. My memory's going in my old age."

"Who are you and what are you trying to say?"

"Oh, come now, I know you, do you know me? Look inside my heart and you'll see just what exactly it is I am and what I plan for you and your band." The figure chuckled darkly.

"Look inside your heart?" Cole couldn't believe what he was hearing, but he cleared his mind and focused and when he did so he heard a familiar sound, like rattling metal.

"Do you see now, my boy?" The figure sneered with a knowing menace.

"No beat… but that must mean…"

"Make that connection, boy…"

"An Org."

"Precisely." The Org threw off his cloak revealing that he had a white body and a silver chest plate. A purple brain pulsated out of his head with its halves meeting at a gold horn.

"I am Cranivargo, a Knight Org, Master Org's loyal servant."

"But how? We destroyed Master Org!"

"Not quite. You destroyed his likeness. When Viktor Adler consumed an Org heart, he did become Master Org. But Master Org's heart itself was not destroyed. So long as that exists we Orgs shall rise up again and again."

"Master Org's heart can regenerate?"

"Of course, you fool. It is the reason why we Orgs exist. I shall take my leave of you now, Mr. Evans. But I will return to reunite you with your parents soon enough." With that, Cranivargo vanished.

"Wait!" Cole yelled, but it was too late. Cole stood dumbfounded, completely staggered at the events that had just transpired. How could it be? The Orgs were alive and well. But Cole was the only one who knew. He could assemble the team, but without the help of the Animarium and Princess Shayla, they were just ordinary people. But still, it was the only hope he could think of.

Cole dropped back down on the bench and looked to the sky. (Please,) he thought, (If you're up there, Princess, I need your help. I can't fight alone. Please.)

Suddenly, Cole could feel something familiar. He searched inside and found a heartbeat.

"Hey, Jungle Boy," came a voice from down the path. Cole looked up and saw an old friend. "Looks like we get a second tour of duty, huh?"

"Taylor!" Cole shouted as he rushed to embrace Taylor Earhart. "How are you?"

"Not the time for that now, Cole. We've got work to do."

"How did you know?"

"The Golden Eagle Zord could feel something wasn't right. I didn't think it was this bad, though."

"We've got to get everyone together."

"Already done. They should be here right about… now."

Sure enough, a white car pulled up to the side of the road, and out stepped Danny Delgado, Max Cooper, and Alyssa Enrile. Everyone hugged as they met up with one another.

"Can't believe we'd meet up again like this," said Max.

"Who would have thought?" wondered Danny.

"This is just insane. How do we fight now?" We don't have our Ranger Powers." asked Alyssa. "There must be a way."

"Hold on, aren't we missing someone?" asked Danny.

"Yeah, where's Merrick?" asked Max.

"Don't know," Cole answered. "He said it himself; he goes wherever the wind takes him."

"And it seems the wind has led me right back here." Merrick Baliton had arrived. The lone wolf steadily came up to them. "And I wouldn't have been led back here if I wasn't needed, now would I? I can tell something is wrong. What is it?"

Cole told him. "The Orgs are back."

"How? We destroyed Master Org, right?"

"Apparently, Master Org has a separate heart that can regenerate and as long as it exists Orgs can regenerate as well."

"But if that's the case," Alyssa thought, "shouldn't we have known about this last time?"

"Maybe Princess Shayla didn't know," Taylor proposed. "Maybe we were supposed to find this out on our own."

"Or maybe she did know," said Max, "and that's why she had us hand in our Growl Phones for safekeeping."

"Either way, we don't know much more than we did before," Danny grumbled. "Cole, what did that Org say about himself?"

"Not much," Cole replied. "He just said his name and that he was a Knight Org."

"Wait," said Merrick. "That reminds me of a story Zen-Aku told me. He told me that there was once an Org civil war. The Duke Orgs fought against the Knight Orgs."

"Really?" Taylor said, surprised. "Tell us the story."

"All right." Everyone gathered closer to listen. "This is what Zen-Aku told me while we were traveling together:

"Long ago, before they were involved with the Animarium, the Orgs were involved in a great civil war. The Duke Orgs fought against the Knight Orgs for Master Org's favor. The two tribes battled to see which tribe Master Org would allow to join him on his conquests."

"Why didn't Master Org just take both tribes?" Danny asked. "From a fighting standpoint, it makes sense to have all the help you can get."

"But from an evil genius standpoint, it makes perfect sense to have your own soldiers fight it out," said Taylor. "You want the strongest you can get. I wouldn't do it that way, but, then again, I'm not an Org."

"As you can guess, the Duke Orgs won the civil war, but that's not the end of the story," Merrick continued. "Zen-Aku told me that per the rules of engagement, the Knight Orgs were to be banished until such a time when the Duke Orgs were defeated."

"So that means when we beat Master Org the first time, we released the Knight Orgs?" Max surmised.

"It seems that way. But that's not all. The reason the Knight Orgs lost is that they were betrayed in the final battle by two of their own. A sorceress and a swordsman."

"You mean…?" asked Alyssa.

"Toxica and Jindrax."

"So that's another reason they quit serving Master Org," Cole surmised. "They wanted to escape from the Knight Orgs."

"Right. But I didn't think it would take this long for them to come. Zen-Aku and I parted ways after he found some ruins he wanted to explore, after which I simply wandered on following the wind until I came back here."

"Good thing you did," Alyssa said. "We're strongest when we're together."

"But that doesn't solve the problem of how we get back in the game, powers wise," said Max.

"I know," said Danny. "If only Princess Shayla were here."

"We'll have to find her," said Merrick.

"I don't know," said Taylor. "How can we be sure the Animarium will be there?"

"It was there for you when you needed it the last time, wasn't it? It'll be there again, trust me."

"Okay." Cole turned to stand beside Merrick. "I trust you. Everyone, we need to split up and search for the Animarium. If Princess Shayla is there, it's our chance to get our powers back and take it to the Knight Orgs. Everybody with me?"

"It's all we've got," said Taylor. "Lead the way, Jungle Boy."

"I'm with ya, buddy," said Danny.

"You know I'm in," said Max.

"Of course. We need to do this," said Alyssa.

"Yes," said Merrick simply.

"Alright, then. It's unanimous. Now all we need to do is prove it." Cole could feel the energy of his friends and he knew. They could do this.

"Everyone, we're back in business."


	12. Changes in the Wind

Chapter 12

Changes in the Wind

Blue Bay Harbor

It was a typical day at Storm Chargers. The displays were set up for the latest equipment sale, the shelves were stocked, the courses were refreshed and Kelly Monroe had just opened the equipment store and rental counter. It was a tough job keeping the Harbor's skateboarders, surfers and freestyle motocross riders on their respective vehicles and still riding, but Kelly liked it all the same. Recently, Storm Chargers had gone into selling scooters, rollerblades, and BMX gear, so now there was an even more varied amount of customers' needs being met.

Meanwhile, three of Storm Chargers' most loyal customers were on their respective courses practicing. Shane Clarke was on the half pipe, Tori Hanson was on the waves, and Dustin Brooks was on the dirt track. Each was practicing tricks for any competition that might come their way. The three were already excellent extreme athletes, but in secret they were ninja operatives who had fought off an evil shogun named Lothor a few years ago, protecting their academy alongside their friends Hunter and Blake Bradley, the Thunder Rangers, and Cam Watanabe, the son of their sensei.

It had been a long time since Lothor had been defeated, not once, but twice. The Dino Thunder Rangers had helped out a great deal when Lothor escaped the Abyss of Evil and had tricked Shane, Tori, and Dustin into fighting for him. Luckily Cam, Hunter, and Blake were able to pull together and bring back the Wind Rangers to their old selves. The Ninja Rangers and the Dino Thunder Rangers then united and took down Lothor and Mesogog's troops. No one knows what became of Lothor since.

Tori, Dustin, and Shane had agreed to meet at Storm Chargers to go over their lesson plans and training regimens for their students back at the Wind Ninja Academy as soon as they were finished their individual training. Cam had agreed to join them to oversee their work and add his own suggestions. The three hadn't been to Storm Chargers as often as they had liked since they had become teachers at the Academy, but they still got there from time to time.

Suddenly, a motorcycle pulled into the parking lot. A young man in a yellow and black racing suit hopped off the motorcycle, walked in, pulled off his helmet, shook his hair out and shouted, "Whoo! What a run I just had!"

"Hey, Dustin," Kelly called to him. "How'd you do today?"

"Awesome, Kel. I finally pulled a backflip this run. I've been working on that for months."

"Nice," Kelly responded. "When you gonna bust it out in competition?"

"I don't know," Dustin answered. "Probably gonna make sure I can land it right a few more times before I pull it off in for real."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Have Tori or Shane showed up yet?"

"Not yet."

"I'll wait for them, then."

Dustin didn't have to wait long. As soon as he said those words, the door opened and a girl in light blue carrying a surfboard walked in.

"What's happening, Tor?" Dustin called out to her.

Tori noticed him, waved, and headed over to where he was standing. "Hey, Dustin," Tori greeted him. "How's it going?"

"Great. Had a great run. How 'bout you?"

"Pretty good, typical day riding the waves. Where's Shane?"

"Not here yet."

"Oh."

"Have you talked to Blake and Hunter lately?"

"Hunter, yes; Blake, no."

"How come?"

"You know, with Blake on tour with Factory Blue, he hasn't had much of an opportunity to call the Thunder Academy, much less us."

"I guess, but you'd think he'd find some way to get in contact with his friends every once in a while. They do have this thing called texting nowadays." Dustin's tone grew lighter. "Maybe he's such a superstar now that he's forgotten his roots in the Academy."

"As if, Dustin."

"I'm kidding. I know Blake's not like that. But I'm worried that we haven't heard from him in a while. Hunter called Shane about some inter-Academy thing last week. I hope Blake finds the time to take out of his busy schedule to see us again."

"That would be cool. We haven't seen him since that time in Reefside."

Suddenly, a young man in a red t-shirt, grey shorts, and pads rushed in.

Kelly looked up and recognized him immediately. "What's the rush, Shane?"

"Sorry, Kel. Are Tori and Dustin here?"

"We're here, bro," Dustin responded. "What's the problem?"

"Urgent text from Cam. We're needed."

Tori got it. Dustin didn't. "Needed? Where?"

"The _Academy_." Shane hissed.

"Ohhhhhhhhhhh." Now Dustin got it. "Well, let's go."

"Go? Where are you guys going?" Kelly asked them.

"Umm…Cam's place," Shane said.

"How come?"

"Uh…strategy planning," Tori answered.

"For what?"

"For our students," Dustin said quickly.

"OK, get out of here."

"Thanks, Kelly," Shane answered. The three turned and ran out.

"Another close call," Shane sighed.

"You're gonna get us busted one of these times, Dustin," Tori said shaking her head.

"Let's just get there, OK?" Dustin grumbled. The three headed into the woods. Once there, they quick-changed into their ninja uniforms and used their special abilities to high-tail it to the Wind Ninja Academy.

The three arrived in near record time. Not since that fateful day when they had been late had they moved faster. When they rushed in to Ninja Ops, they found Sensei Kanoi Watanabe waiting for them, a troubled expression on his face. Cam was also there, looking quite worried as well. Also there were Cam's cousins, Marah and Kapri, both looking frustrated. As soon as they noticed the three ninjas step in, Marah and Kapri started up.

"Oh, good, you're here," Marah said, relieved. "Uncle won't tell us anything."

"Yeah," said Kapri. "He said he wanted to wait for you guys to show up to tell us the news, and here you are, so…"

"Calm down, ladies," Cam said. "The point is they're here."

"Yeah," said Marah. "So… maybe now we can find out what's wrong?"

Shane stepped to the center of the room and bowed. Tori and Dustin did the same. "We're here, Sensei. What do you need from us?"

"I am glad you three are here," Sensei said. "I called you here because I sensed something today. A great disturbance in the balance of power. I hoped it was only something I mistook, but the feeling lingers. It can only mean one thing…"

"What, Dad?" Cam asked.

"Once again, Lothor has returned."

"But why didn't we feel him when we beat him last time?" asked Tori.

"Lothor was trapped by powerful means after that battle. I believe he has only recently escaped from his prison."

"Wait a minute…" Dustin pondered. "Doesn't this all seem familiar to you guys?"

"Yeah, this is exactly how Lothor tricked us into serving him the last time," said Shane.

"So how do we know he's not doing it again?" said Tori. All three took up battle stances.

"Guys, what are you doing?" Cam said, confused at his friends' actions.

"That's not Sensei, it's Lothor!" Dustin shouted.

"We were fooled once," said Tori. "Not again." The three Wind Ninjas circled Sensei.

"Get him!" Shane ordered and they rushed Sensei, who calmly stepped aside as all three collided with each other.

"I can see how you would believe that I am Lothor in disguise," said Sensei, with an almost bemused look on his face. "After all, 'fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.' But I can assure you I am the genuine article."

"Prove it," Shane huffed.

"Simple, Shane. I know that each of you was considering using your powers in practice for your tricks. And Dustin, _you_ actually _did_ use your powers to soften your landing on that backflip you did today. You all know the rules, even if you think you can get away with it, you will be caught."

"It's Sensei," all three of them said at once.

"Glad that clears that up," Cam grumbled. "I can't believe you guys thought my dad was Lothor. That family resemblance was gone a long time ago. I know he got you guys last time, but you know what they say, 'Don't forget who your friends are.' "

"Very true, Cam," Sensei said, "But also remember that past experiences color future judgment."

"So wait, if Lothor's back, where is he?" Dustin wondered.

"And does the Thunder Academy know?" Tori asked.

"And what can we do to stop him?" Shane added.

"We have many questions," Sensei said. "And unfortunately, not enough answers. To start, I cannot find Lothor's current location, nor have I had time to contact our allies at the Thunder Academy."

"Well, that's not good," grumbled Kapri.

"But we can do something, right, Uncle?" Marah said uneasily.

"That I am not certain of. Shane, Tori, Dustin, Cam; you may need to figure out how to restore your Ranger powers, if possible. I believe that has something to do with the Samurai Amulet."

"Dad, our Ranger powers have been out for years," Cam said. "How are we going to get them back now?"

"Not to worry, Cam," Sensei said with the first smile they saw since they first came in. "I have found a secret scroll that speaks of this very situation. Wait just a moment while I retrieve it." Sensei stood up and headed for the back.

Everyone looked around at each other. "Could Sensei be right?" Dustin wondered. "Can we really be Rangers again?"

"I suppose it's possible," said Cam. "I just wonder what the Samurai Amulet has to do with it."

"Oooh, oooh, can we be Rangers, too?" Marah asked. "We would look so good in those tights."

"I know," Kapri added. "Can we, cousin? Please?"

"No." Cam said firmly. "You didn't have Ranger powers before, you can't have them now."

"Aw, c'mon," Kapri grumbled. "We could help people. It would be fun."

"Yeah," Marah pleaded. "We would make great Rangers. You know it."

"Sorry, girls," Shane said, "but you don't know the first thing about being Rangers. You barely know enough about being ninjas."

"Not true," countered Marah.

"So not true," Kapri agreed.

"Look," said Tori, "you can be the last line of defense. If we go down, you can rally the students to help us out. Deal?"

"Well, it's not exactly being Rangers," said Kapri, "but it sounds OK."

"I guess it's a deal." Marah said with a half smile on her face.

At that moment, Sensei came back into the room. "Here it is," he told them. The six gathered around Sensei as he unfurled the scroll. "As you can see, the scroll shows the six Rangers around the Samurai symbol…"

"Which means the Samurai Amulet, right?" Cam guessed.

"I believe so. The scroll also shows Lothor's symbol…"

"That's not good," said Dustin.

"… and paths connecting from each to a symbol I've never seen before. It almost looks like a flame."

"So what does it mean?" Shane asked.

"I'm not certain, but the new symbol must be the key. You must find the thing that that symbol represents before Lothor does."

"But what does that symbol mean?" asked Tori.

Sensei shook his head. "I wish I knew that, Tori."

"Say, maybe it's another Ranger and they just don't know it yet," said Marah.

"Good thinking. I wish it were one of us," sighed Kapri.

Cam pondered these words for a moment. "I never thought I'd say this, but they may be right. There could be a seventh Ranger and we have to find him or her before it's too late."

"The question is: where are they?" Tori wondered.

"I guess we'll have to look all over and find out," Dustin figured.

"I'll call Hunter and tell him the news," Shane volunteered.

"Be careful, everyone." Sensei said as he drew a deep breath. "I sense that things will be very difficult in the near future. There is a storm brewing and it will be quite a while before things return to calm again."


	13. Frantic Spirits

Chapter 13

Frantic Spirits

Ocean Bluff

Casey Rhodes was emotionally drained at the moment. He had been pulling double duty for the last 15 months working at Jungle Karma Pizza five days a week and instructing the Cubs in the ways of the Order of the Claw six days a week. Lately, Casey's hours had been increasing at both sites.

Now, Casey had been lobbying with his friend and boss, R.J. James, for a couple of days off in the near future to recharge. R.J. had denied his request, stating that since demand was up, J.K.P. needed as much of its staff on duty as possible. "A little hard work goes a long way, Case," R.J. had told him, "And the more work you put in, the farther you go." Casey had learned a long time ago not to question R.J.'s wisdom. There was nothing he could do.

Now, it was about noon. And not only was Casey exhausted, now he was alone. Theo Martin and Lily Chilman had just left, saying they were going on their lunch date, and R.J. had also vacated the premises, muttering that he had to pick something up and that Casey was in charge until he got back. What could have made all three of them pick that exact moment to leave, Casey didn't know; this wasn't a Tuesday, Lily and Theo's usual day for their weekly date, and normally R.J. never left J.K.P. unless it was to get supplies (R.J. usually slept on the couch in the loft above the restaurant) and the way he had gone rushing out the door it didn't seem like a supply run to Casey. Besides, there wasn't one scheduled. Dominic Hargan and Fran Kinney were still backpacking in Europe and Casey could really have used their help right then.

But currently, he was alone, and it couldn't have been at a worse time. It was time for the lunch rush, the busiest time of the day. Casey had put a couple pizzas in the oven prior to his friends' evacuation and he hoped that would be enough, but he wasn't sure. He was in charge, but he was obviously the only one working. However, he knew Fran had worked solo for periods of time while the rest of the crew was out tending to their Ranger duties. And she was also very understanding, once she found out their secret. But in any case, working solo had been done before. Casey figured it could be done again.

Luckily for Casey, things were starting off slow. The first five minutes went by and no customers showed up. Then, Casey got a pleasant surprise when a young man in black and a young woman in green walked in.

"Jarrod! Camille! What's up, guys?" said Casey from behind the counter.

"Hey, Casey," said Jarrod Richards. "How've ya been?"

"Good to see you, Casey" said Camille Leone. "How are you?"

"Not too bad," Casey replied. "Can I get you guys anything?"

"Well, now that you mention it, I am kind of hungry," said Camille.

"Maybe a couple of slices will do us good," said Jarrod.

"What would you like?" Casey asked.

"I'll go with a slice of white pizza," said Camille.

"I'll take a meat lover's slice, extra cheese," said Jarrod.

"Anything to drink?" Casey asked.

"Water's fine," said Jarrod.

"Same here," Camille agreed.

"Coming right up." Casey went to put the slices in the oven and take out the pizzas that he had already put in as Jarrod and Camille sat down at the table closest to the counter. "Should take about five minutes, guys," Casey said to them as he gave them their water.

"Thanks, Case," said Jarrod.

"So how come you guys stopped here today?"

"Well, we figured we'd pay you a visit since you're working by yourself," Camille said. "It has to be hard on you right now."

"Tell me about it," groaned Casey. "Did they have to leave me by myself now of all times? I can't understand it. First Theo and Lily leave saying they're going on their lunch date…"

"Wait, don't Theo and Lily usually go on their date on Tuesdays?" asked Jarrod.

"That's what I was thinking. Then, R.J. leaves, saying he's gotta pick something up. I don't think it's a supply run, there wasn't one scheduled for today. So why did he leave? And why did Lily and Theo change their schedule? I don't get it."

Jarrod chuckled. "Well we talked to…oof!" He never got to finish his thought as Camille kicked him under the table. Luckily for her, Casey's back was turned and he didn't see it.

"What?" Jarrod whispered.

Camille shook her head and put her finger to the side of her nose. "Shh."

"Oh, right."

"Did you say something?" Casey asked.

"Uh… haven't a clue," Jarrod said.

"We can't figure it out, either," said Camille.

"A lot of help you guys are," Casey grumbled. Then he stopped. "Wait a second. How did you guys know I was working alone?"

"Umm, well…" Camille stammered.

"Let's just tell him," said Jarrod.

"Tell me what?" Casey demanded.

"Just that we ran into Lily and Theo on their way to their lunch date and they said they had a surprise for you when they got back," Jarrod said in a rush. "I really shouldn't have said anything."

"Way to keep a secret, Jarrod," Camille snarled, hands on hips.

"Secret surprise, eh?" Casey said with a grin on his face. "Can you tell me what it is?"

"Sorry, don't know," said Jarrod.

"Even if we did know, we wouldn't tell you," said Camille, "because then it wouldn't be a surprise."

"Aw, c'mon," Casey groaned. "They didn't give you any hints?"

"Nope. Sorry," Jarrod said.

"Can't help ya here," Camille said plainly.

"Rats," Casey grumbled. Suddenly a buzzer went off in the kitchen. "Oh. Pizza's ready. I'll get it." Casey headed to the back to get his friends' pizza.

"Nice save there," Camille whispered to Jarrod.

"What can I say?" he whispered back. "Acting was always one of my fortes. It helped me when I was possessed by Dai Shi."

"How could acting help in that situation?"

"It makes the enemy believe you're in league with them. An enemy within is better off believing he's in control when he's really not."

"Did R.J. tell you that one?"

"Master Mao did, actually."

"When?"

"Soon after Dai Shi was defeated. Master Mao wanted to…"

"What did Master Mao want?" Casey had come back with the pizza. "Here you go guys." He handed a slice of meat lover's pizza to Jarrod and a slice of white pizza to Camille.

"Thanks, Casey," said Camille.

"Master Mao wanted to talk to me about my experience with Dai Shi controlling my body and how it altered my life," Jarrod continued. "I told him all that I remembered: what he did, what was going through my mind, and how I coped."

"So how did you do it, anyway?" Casey asked him.

"It was tough," Jarrod said with a shudder. "I still have nightmares every once in a while. But I found a way to break free when he wasn't in his full state of control."

"And it's a good thing you did," said Camille. "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't saved me."

"We're glad to have you back on our side, Jarrod," Casey said with a smile.

"Thanks."

Suddenly the door opened and a bunch of kids rushed in followed by a couple of adults.

"Looks like you've got some company." Camille grinned.

"You'd better get on that," Jarrod told Casey.

"I hear you. Be right back." Casey headed off to where the kids were sitting.

The kids were a soccer team that had just lost a game to a team from Orange River. They lost it big, too: Five to nothing. The kids' coaches had taken them to J.K.P. to celebrate a good effort, though. The coaches ordered six pizzas; two pepperoni, two mushroom and two cheese.

This was not what Casey had expected. He had a couple pies ready to come out of the oven about now, but this was a little much for him. He told the soccer team it would take a while and got the drinks for them.

Then the door opened and another group came in. These were a group of baseball players fresh out of practice. They ordered three pizzas. Casey had just finished putting the soccer team's pizzas in the oven when he took their order.

"Hmmm…" Casey said to himself as soon as he got back to the kitchen. "Looks like I'm going to be busy. I'd better put a couple extra pies in the oven just in case. Casey did just that as soon as he was finished with the baseball guys' pies.

The customers just kept on coming. A couple here, a group there, another bunch over there; no single customers, they always came in packs. (Like wild dogs,) Casey thought, (or like Rinshi.) And they came hungry. A couple would only order drinks, but most ordered at least one slice each. In a matter of an hour, the place was filled to capacity. Casey was working as fast as possible, but he couldn't fill all the orders quickly enough and the customers were starting to get impatient.

"Ugh…I can't take this!" Casey groaned as soon as he had gotten back to the kitchen for the 50th time. "Why did they have to leave me alone now of all times? I don't know how Fran did it!" He went to put yet another pizza in the oven. "Oh, man, R.J. is gonna have my head for this. Half the customers must've walked out by now…"

"Not true, they're all still here."

Casey did a double take. "Camille? Jarrod? How'd you guys get back here?"

"You left the counter unattended. So we hopped it." Jarrod grinned.

"We explained the situation to the customers," Camille told Casey. "We told them we swear by this place as having the best pizza in town. And if you couldn't come through, they could give J.K.P. all the negative publicity they wanted."

"Thanks, guys," said Casey with relief. "I really hate to do this, but I'm gonna need some help. Do you guys have any experience making pizza?"

"A little," said Camille. "R.J. taught us a little bit a few months ago."

"What about running cash registers?"

"Leave that to me," said Jarrod. "I know how Camille gets around machines."

"I'm learning," she scoffed.

"Good, you're hired," said Casey.

"What do we get?" asked Camille, hands on hips.

"Your meal's on the house today for starters."

"I'm listening…"

"…and for as long as I can swing it with R.J."

"That's good…" said Jarrod.

"But…" said Camille.

"All right," Casey huffed. "I'll give each of you half my pay for the day. Is that enough?"

Jarrod and Camille looked at each other and nodded.

"That's what I was looking for."

"Works for me."

"All right, thanks guys. Now let's get to work."

The combined efforts of the three were enough. With all three of them taking turns waiting tables, making pizzas, and ringing up customers' bills, the rest of the lunch rush went by as smooth as silk.

"That's the last one," said Camille as she rang up the check. She had become quite proficient at working the cash register in the last hour.

"Finally," said Casey as he wiped down table 16. "We did it."

"You owe us, Casey," said Jarrod.

"Big time," Camille added.

"I know, I know. I'll come through, I promise." Casey slumped down in a chair. "That… was… brutal. I'd rather battle both of you than go through that again."

"Oh?" said Jarrod.

"What did I say?"

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Camille asked Jarrod.

"That somebody needs to be taught a lesson? I believe so."

"Guys, you're scaring me…" Casey said.

Camille and Jarrod then got up and started walking slowly towards Casey. "What are you guys doing?" Casey said, bewildered by his friends' actions. But Jarrod and Camille kept coming, circling around him with chuckles escaping their faces. Casey figured the best thing to do was back away slowly, but they kept coming. They rushed him; he hopped over the bar to the kitchen. They followed. Casey ran around the table but tripped over a pot and crashed to the floor.

Jarrod jumped on him and put him in a headlock, while Camille searched through the refrigerator. "This should do…" she thought out loud as she took some eggs out. She approached the headlocked Casey with a big grin on her face. "Sorry, Casey, but Jarrod and I negotiated this before we got here. You need to be taught a lesson and we're the teachers." Camille cracked an egg and prepared to dump the yolk on Casey's head, but Casey slipped out Jarrod's headlock and the yolk ended up on Jarrod's head instead.

"Ha! Now's who's got egg on their face?" Casey gloated. "Or, more specifically, in their hair?"

"Smooth one, Camille," said a very annoyed Jarrod.

"Sorry," said Camille. "But it is a good look for you," she said giggling.

"Really?" said Jarrod sarcastically. "Then I suppose it would be a good look for you, too," he said as he cracked an egg over her head. "Definitely looks better on you than on me."

"Ugh…" Camille growled. "How dare you!"

Casey cracked up. "I love it! So much for teaching me a lesson. Now you've gone and wasted an egg each. You know you're gonna have to…"

"Shut up, Casey!" they both yelled, and each broke an egg on his head.

"Oh, it's on now!" Casey grabbed a bag of flour from under the table and dumped it all over them. Then he proceeded to grab the rest of the eggs and run, but Jarrod rushed to the sink, turned on the spray hose and blasted Casey, forcing him to drop the eggs and leaving him soaking wet.

Camille was the one laughing now, but not for long, as soon the hose was turned on her. She quickly rushed over to Jarrod's position; as did Casey, and the three of them tried to grab the hose from each other, twisting, snarling, grabbing; until the hose ended up pointing at a man in purple, soaking him, too.

"Uh…oh…" Casey said, knowing he was in trouble now.

"What… is going on here?" asked the man in purple.

"I guess it's our fault, R.J.," said Jarrod. "We were trying to teach a lesson to Casey and things got out of hand."

"I can see, and feel, that," R.J. said. "Why are you two back here anyway?"

"I needed their help with the lunch rush," Casey explained. "I had to make a deal with them for them to help me out. It was too much for me to handle alone."

"Hmm… I see. So you temporarily hired them, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, you could have made worse choices. They did help you through the lunch rush. But afterwards…"

"Yeah, we overdid it a bit," said Camille.

"Lily, Theo, c'mon in," R.J. said. The two other Pai Zhua Masters, who had been waiting outside, did as told.

"What happened in here?" Theo said, looking around with disdain on his face.

"This is a disaster area," Lily groaned. "It looks like a bunch of Rinshi hit it."

"Not them, just their ex-masters," Casey growled.

"Hey, you're not blameless in this, buddy," Jarrod growled back.

"Definitely not," Camille agreed.

"Guys, don't ever leave me alone again," Casey turned his attention back to Theo and Lily. "I had to make a deal with these guys so that they'd help me through the lunch rush."

"That was my fault, actually," said R.J. "I set all this up, really. I had something to do, so I figured I would see if Casey could make good decisions in business like he could in battle. So I set it up so that Casey would be alone, and how he would react would determine on whether he passed or not."

"Well? How'd I do?"

"Casey, you did well, for the most part."

"I know where I messed up. Asking for help, right?"

"No, that's where you did your best. Jarrod and Camille were supposed to help you. I set it up that way. Theo and Lily were with me the whole time."

"Wait, what?"

"They were informed of the task that I was setting up for you. It was just coincidence that it was the lunch rush that I had to do what I had to do."

"So the only one not in on it was me, huh?"

"Not completely true. There were two other people not involved."

"Who?"

"I just picked them up."

"It looks like we missed the party, huh?" said a voice from outside the kitchen.

"R.J.," Casey asked, "What did you do today? Where did you go? Who did you pick up?"

"Who do you think?" said another voice. Then a young man in white and a young woman in orange entered the kitchen.

"Dom! Fran! You're back!" Casey said in shock.

"Yep, just got back today," Dominic said.

"We brought you all souvenirs," said Fran. "But it looks like the party started without us."

"You guys could've told me you were coming back. You could've sent a text or an e-mail or something," Casey said quickly.

"We figured we'd surprise you," said Fran. "Well, Dom did."

"I was hoping you'd be up to your neck in customers so we could charge in to the rescue," said Dom with a grin on his face. "Oh well."

"Yeah, well, you almost got your wish," Casey groaned. "If it hadn't been for Camille and Jarrod, I might not have made it."

"Well, now that we've got all that settled," said R.J., "Casey, you've got a little explaining to do. First, what were the terms you agreed on to get Jarrod and Camille to help you?"

"Free food for as long as I can swing it with you and half my pay for the day each."

"That seems fair." R.J. turned to Camille and Jarrod. "Since all J.K.P. employees get free food, how would you like to work here full-time? I could use the extra help."

"We get paid the same as everyone else, right?" Camille asked.

"Right."

"And same employee benefits go with that?" Jarrod asked.

"Of course."

Jarrod and Camille talked it over for a few seconds, and then nodded.

"All right. We're in," said Camille.

"You've got two new employees," said Jarrod.

"Excellent." R.J. turned his attention back to Casey. "Casey, you do take responsibility for this mess, being as they were under your supervision?"

"…yeah."

"The destroyed supplies will have to come out of your paycheck; but, otherwise, no harm done. All you have to do is clean it up. Alone."

"…all right," Casey sighed.

"Unless, of course, someone wants to help him."

"I'll help," said Jarrod.

"Me too," said Camille.

"Thanks, guys" Casey said with relief.

"OK," said R.J. "We're closing up for the day to celebrate Dom and Fran's return. You three catch up when you're done. The rest of you guys, come up to the loft, I've got something special for you."


	14. Hard Headed People

Chapter 14

Hard Headed People

Corinth, Alternate Dimension

The area around the domed city of Corinth had drastically changed in the recent years. Where there was once nothing but desert land, now an oasis spread across the plain where verdant saplings were growing at an astounding rate. Colonel Mason Truman decided it was time to get a lay of the land; see how the citizens of Corinth, who had recently just come out of the dome in the past few months and were branching out just beyond the city, could benefit from the new surroundings.

It hadn't been long since "V-C Day", when the sentient computer virus known as Venjix that had ransacked the world's computer systems was finally defeated by its creator, known only as Dr. K. and her team of full-throttle superheroes, the RPM Rangers.

Ever since Dr. K.'s days in the mysterious government organization known only as Alphabet Soup, where she had been raised since childhood, she had been longing to go outside, to feel the warmth of the sunshine, if only for a few moments. She was told she was allergic to sunlight, however, so she never got the chance. She was always told to solve problems for her overseers, though she never knew what they did with her answers. Finally, she had had enough. She created the Venjix Virus to shut down the Alphabet Soup computer system for about an hour or so, so she could slip outside and back in undetected. Unfortunately, she was caught, unable to rein in the virus; and left unchecked it spread around the globe.

Before that, Dr. K. had been working on a special experiment in nanotechnology, one in which electrons could be gathered by the wearers of special battle suits to alter space-time for short bursts. She called it "Project Ranger" and she was nearly finished when the Venjix Virus was left alone and struck Alphabet Soup. She was forced to flee to Corinth, the only place in the world that was safe from the virus; while her assistants, an overenthusiastic but very caring set of twins, stayed behind to complete the top secret portion of the project.

When she arrived, it was only a few days before the First Battle of Corinth, where Colonel Truman's forces protected the city gates from Venjix's Grinder army. It was during that battle that Dr. K. discovered her first three subjects for Project Ranger.

The first was Scott Truman, the Colonel's younger son. He had been a pilot in the elite Eagle Squad alongside his older brother, Marcus, who had been lost in the battle. The second was Flynn McAllistair, a mechanic by trade who risked his life to bring in a busload of refugees into the city just ahead of the approaching Grinders. The third was Summer Lansdown, an heiress who disobeyed her parents and went back out into the battlefield to bring the injured Scott back into the city. One year after the Battle of Corinth, they became Rangers Red, Blue, and Yellow.

The first three were a good start, doing well to hold off Venjix's forces, but it wasn't enough. More was needed. That's when he came to town. He had entered Corinth in his own car with little to no memory of his past, and the only possession he had on him was a pocket watch. The only name he knew himself as was Dillon. He had been put in jail for breaking into the city, but he was released because of his "special talents" that would benefit Project Ranger. Dillon had only two conditions to agree to join the cause. One: his new friend, Ziggy; who was quite the master of shadow puppetry, be released with him. Two: he got to pick his color. It just so happened that the color he wanted was the color Dr. K. had in mind for him: Black.

As for Ziggy Grover, that young man was quite a pain in the backside to Dr. K. He had been a member of the Scorpion Cartel under the infamous Fresno Bob, but he had never been able to get a job done. Then came a day when he was supposed to deliver a truck full of medical equipment to Fresno Bob; five MILLION dollars' worth of equipment. But when he saw an orphanage full of sick children on the brink of closing down, Ziggy couldn't let it happen. So he gave the equipment to the orphanage. Fresno Bob, of course, went ballistic, and Ziggy was forced to flee Corinth. When Venjix struck, Ziggy saw his chance to get back in; he even threatened Dillon with a supposed blaster, really an old car part. Dillon saw right through him, but helped Ziggy, anyway.

Dr. K. started with him doing menial jobs to fill his time, but there came a time when he was needed to do a big job: find a new Ranger. He thought he found the perfect candidate, but unfortunately, she turned out to be Venjix's humanoid attackbot, Tenaya 7, and she nearly claimed the morpher from him, but in desperation, he bonded the morpher to his own DNA, becoming Ranger Green himself. Dr. K. was angry, but saw the fact that there was no choice.

Now, all this time, Dr. K. had hidden herself behind a voice-changing computer system. She finally decided to reveal herself when the team demanded it. She was afraid they could all be lost just like Gem and Gemma, her assistants, had been.

But it turned out Gem and Gemma had not been lost. They had survived the Alphabet Soup destruction and had not only finished the top secret Rangers Gold and Silver projects, which they had used on themselves, (who else was there, really?), they had fought their way through the desert and into the fray against Venjix, saving the other five when their backs were against the wall.

Eventually, through all the problems: infighting amongst the team, Ziggy's bumbling attempts to be the best Ranger he could be, the twins' constantly wanting to either make something or blow it up, and above all Dillon and his body's hybrid technology being infected with the Venjix virus (which Dr. K. tried to find an antidote for) and his search for his sister (he had found out he had one during one of his flashbacks), the Rangers were able to pull through and beat back the tide of Venjix deployments, striking blow after blow to its army. Eventually, Venjix downloaded itself into a robot body of its own to do some of the fighting itself. The team destroyed that body, but Venjix removed itself just before the body became worthy of the scrap heap, so it survived to regroup and come back stronger than ever, and with Generals Shifter and Crunch leading the charge, it made life very hard for the Rangers. But they still hung on, beating back the flood, with Scott even defeating General Shifter in one-on-one combat.

Then came a major shocker. Tenaya always had a thing with taunting Dillon during battles. But in one battle Tenaya noted the difference between humans and attackbots. "When I get damaged, it's just a simple repair. But when you get damaged, you bleed." However, another one of Tenaya's little quirks gave Dillon just the tip he needed in his search.

When the Rangers searched through a prison site, Dillon remembered it was just the place where he and his sister were held before being turned into hybrids. The team didn't find any survivors, but there was a key. It happened to fit with a key that Dillon had that came with his pocket watch. And when the keys were placed inside the lock of the pocket watch, the melody of the pocket watch changed from its normal haunting tune to "The Farmer in the Dell." Tenaya always whistled that tune before she struck. It was beyond a doubt; Tenaya was Dillon's sister.

At first Tenaya didn't believe Dillon, but when she attacked him and was wounded on the arm, to her shock she discovered she was bleeding. She retreated to Venjix's base and scanned her wound to find that in fact true her hybrid DNA signature, T-78, matched Dillon's D-44 as siblings. When Kilobyte, Venjix's most trusted general, suggested that Tenaya was weak and human emotions made her that way, Tenaya said she would have to destroy the emotions at the source: Dillon. When she attempted to do so, the rest of the team stopped her, but Dillon tried to protect her. She was sent flying over the edge of a building, hanging on for dear life by a rail. Dillon risked himself to pull her up, and this time she believed him.

But the reunion was short-lived. Kilobyte recaptured Tenaya and she was re-brainwashed and filled with upgraded technology, thus turning her into Tenaya 15. She had no memory of her past life, or her brother. The Rangers, though saddened by Tenaya's capture, fought on. Dillon's fight was especially difficult, being as he was not only angered by the loss of his sister, believing it was his fault, but his viral progression was rapidly increasing, and Dr. K.'s antivirals were not doing enough. Dr. K. herself said it was only a matter of time before they lost him to Venjix as well.

But somehow, after another of Venjix's bodies was destroyed, Gem and Gemma reactivated a Grinder and attached a camera to its optical sensors, finding a way into Venjix's base. But Venjix, by now in its ultimate body, turned the tables by having Tenaya activate hybrid technology all over Corinth, forcing hybrids' programming to activate and those that were thought to be humans turn into slaves for Venjix; including some of Colonel Truman's own soldiers. Colonel Truman himself was captured and held for Venjix itself to destroy. The Rangers made one last stand, battling thousands of Grinders, even having lost Gem and Gemma when Venjix turned the bio-field against them and deleted them from existence. But Dr. K. had a couple more tricks up her sleeve. She used Venjix's original programming code to create an antiviral to the hybrid virus technology. She also used the code to reverse the bio-field effect and bring back Gem and Gemma. Dillon, just barely able to resist the viral progression long enough to get to the damaged lab, was able to inject himself with the antidote just in time before he was completely lost to Venjix. He then took on Kilobyte, saving Tenaya from certain destruction yet again, as well as injecting her with the antidote. Kilobyte was about to destroy them both, when Scott, Flynn, and Summer intervened with the Road Blaster and took him out. Those three then battled Venjix and were nearly destroyed as well, but Gem and Gemma shot down the control tower and it crashed on top of Venjix, sending it to the scrap heap once and for all. Dillon and Tenaya were almost lost as well, but they were able to skydive out of the tower just before it fell.

Now, Col. Truman was ready to send the citizens of Corinth out into the world again. He just had to find some good places to help relocate them. For that, he would send his troops out into the field and have them do some reconnaissance work. But he would need his best to make sure it was safe out there before sending anyone else out for longer missions.

"So let me get this straight," said Scott, after his father had briefed him on the mission. "You want three members of Eagle Squad to go out and do recon duty to make sure things are safe for the citizens of Corinth to branch out into the world?"

"That's exactly it," Mason responded.

"Well, I think Seven and Eight would do well on this mission…"

"Seven and Eight? They're loose cannons! They're juveniles! They're…"

"They work well individually and even better together."

Col. Truman considered his son's words. "All right. They're in. And who's the third pilot?"

Scott immediately answered, "Me."

"No."

"Why not, Dad?"

"There are so many unknowns out there; we don't want to lose anybody, least of all you."

"You mean you don't want to lose me, like we lost Marcus?"

This caught Col. Truman off-guard.

"I know. I'll be careful, Dad. I promise."

Col. Truman lowered his head. "All right. Go. Just one more thing, though."

"What's that?"

"Tell Seven and Eight: This is Recon only. No Boom Time."

"Yes, Sir."

"BOOM TIME!"

"NO!" yelled Scott for the umpteenth time, as Gem and Gemma were packing their gear for the mission, chanting "Boom Time" over and over. The chanting was really getting on Scott's nerves.

"Thanks again for letting us go with you on this mission, Scott," said Gem as he loaded up his gear.

"If you don't stop chanting and get it into your heads that there is NO BOOM TIME ON THIS MISSION, I might just change my mind," Scott grumbled.

"Aw, come on, Scott," said Gemma with a smile. "It isn't every day you get to blow something up. Unless you're us. Ha-ha!"

"You're not hearing me. No blowing things up! Listen for a second…"

"This is gonna be awe-some!" said Gem. "I can't wait, if there's something out there that we need to get through, just fire away. BOOM!"

"BOOM!" echoed his sister. "This is gonna be so much fun!"

"Hell-oooooooooooo? Earth to Gem and Gemma: No Boom Time!"

Gem and Gemma still didn't hear him. The chanting continued: "Boom Time! Boom Time!"

"SHUT UP!" screamed Scott. This caused the twins to finally stop chanting and look his way.

"There will be absolutely: no fire, no flames, no pyrotechnics, no bombs, no missiles, no explosions, no combustions, no detonations… NO BOOM TIME!"

"What's your point, Scott?" Gem asked.

"Yeah, I'm not seeing it…" Gemma added.

"UGH! Do you two listen? NO BOOM TIME! You are not going to blow anything up on this mission!"

"AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW…" the twins chorused.

"No fair…" Gemma pouted.

"Why are we even going, anyway?" Gem asked.

"I need you two to help scout the area for potential habitats for the citizens of Corinth to relocate to when they feel the desire to. You'll be fine with it, I promise."

"What's in it for us, huh?" Gemma countered.

"Yeah, we gotta get something outta this, right?" Gem agreed.

"I knew you'd say that, and I already have something in the bag for you," said Scott. "The big celebration's coming up and I've volunteered you two to run the fireworks display."

This brightened the twins' moods quite a bit.

"Really?" Gemma squealed.

"Oh, thankyouthankyouthankyou." Gem grinned. "We won't let you down, Scott."

"Promise." The twins started chanting again.

Scott just shook his head. Maybe he'd ask Dr. K about why they were so obsessed with blowing things up later. But now wasn't the time for that. The mission waited. And with good results, perhaps Corinth's citizens could branch out further. Maybe they could repopulate the earth, reverse the damage Venjix had done. Maybe even do better. But it had to start somewhere, and hopefully he and the twins could find the places to do just that.


	15. Memories of a Sabretooth

Chapter 15

Memories of a Sabretooth

Flying Towards California…

"And…checkmate," said Morgan as he defeated Bulk yet again.

"Aw, c'mon; how do I keep missing that?" Bulk groaned.

"You're too focused on offense," Morgan told him. "In chess, you gotta think offensively AND defensively in order to win."

Skull gave his trademark high-pitched laugh. "He's gotcha there, Bulky."

Bulk glared at his best buddy, but said nothing. He turned his attention back to Morgan. "I guess I'm not too good at this, huh?"

"Hey, you know what they say. 'Practice Makes Perfect.' Get a couple good strategies and you'll get better. So I guess you don't want to play again, huh?"

"Nope. I know when I'm beat."

"Skull, you wanna try your hand at me again?"

"Nah, I gotta get Spike."

"Spike? Who's that?" asked Kimberly.

"My son."

"I didn't know you had a son, Skull. You married, too?"

"Yeah; her name's Annie. She's a real peach. Helped me get my music career going."

"Whoa, the surprises keep on coming! You've got a music career? What do you do?"

"He plays the piano," Bulk interrupted. "He's awesome at it! He sells out concerts all over the country!"

"So what do you do, Bulk?" asked Morgan.

Bulk gulped. "I live in Panorama City. I've tried to find a career, but nothing really strikes my fancy."

"Except the Power Rangers," Kimberly laughed.

"Yeah, so?" Bulk huffed. "It just so happens that Panorama City has its own set of Power Rangers. Samurai Rangers! And I've been teaching Spike Skullovitch how to be a Samurai!"

"Good luck with that one," Kimberly deadpanned.

"Hey, Dad! Uncle Bulk! Where are the video games at?" came a voice from behind them. There was a guy in his late teens searching around the plane for his portable video game system when Skull grabbed him by the arm and put him in the seat between himself and Bulk. "Spike, calm down. Your 3DP is charging. It'll take about an hour. In the meantime, I'd like you to meet a new friend and an old friend. First the new: this is Morgan."

"How ya doin', man?" Spike asked him.

"Pretty good. Yourself?"

"Meh. OK."

Skull continued. "And this is Kimberly…"

"You mean this is the girl you were in love with before you met Mom?"

Skull glared daggers at Spike.

"Ouch. Well, this is awkward…" said Kimberly with a look of embarrassment on her face.

"I'll say," Morgan agreed.

"It's okay, I knew; I just was already involved with someone else."

"Who?"

"I don't wanna talk about it."

There was a moment of silence between the five as things sank in. But Kim decided to change the subject.

"So, Morgan, I'll play you."

"Step right up."

The two set up the chessboard and started the game.

"Hey, Kim; how long's it been since you were in Angel Grove?" Morgan asked.

"It's been, wow, over a decade. I haven't been there since I lost one of my best friends…"

Flashback: 2001

Kimberly was shocked when she heard the news. How could it be? She was so stunned she couldn't even cry. Her first best friend. She had been driving down Interstate 5 on her way to a job interview when a wrong way criminal escaping from the police T-Boned her at an intersection. She didn't have time to react, let alone morph.

And now Trini was gone. Lost from the Earth forever. No one would know she had been the Original Yellow Ranger, except for those who were of The Power. Kimberly had flown in from Florida, and the others had come in from all over, including Billy Cranston, the Original Blue Ranger, who had come from Planet Aquitar. It normally would have been a joyous reunion, but did it have to come like this?

"I just can't believe she's gone…" Kim sobbed.

"If only there had been more time," Aisha Campbell said with a look of pain on her face. She had been Trini's successor to the Yellow Ranger Power. And her successor; her cousin, Tanya Sloan; just kept humming "Amazing Grace."

Katherine Hillard, the second Pink Ranger, held Kimberly tight. "I know how much Trini meant to you. It feels like a piece of all of us is gone."

Zack Taylor, the first Black Ranger, just shook his head in anger. "We go to a peace conference in Switzerland, and for what? One of us gets killed by a criminal? I hope that guy gets LIFE!"

"Calm down," said Adam Park, Zack's successor. "We just need to let justice run its course."

Billy, who had been very close to Trini, looked sick. "Well," he said glumly, "it's not scientifically proven that there's an afterlife. But if there is, I'm sure Trini's up there smiling down on us."

Then there was Jason and Tommy. Kimberly couldn't bring herself to look at either one of them. Jason had his face in his hands, and Tommy had his arm around Jason's shoulders. They were practically brothers and everyone knew it. They were taking this hard, too. It was especially hard on Tommy who had just lost his real brother, David. Rocky DeSantos, Jason's successor and also teammate, grabbed his friends by the shoulders. "At least she doesn't have to fight anymore," he said.

"I just wish there's something I could have done," Jason wept.

"I know, bro," said Tommy. "But there isn't."

"It just feels so… wrong. To have one of us. Die. Just like that."

"Yeah. But even Power Rangers aren't invincible, bro."

"What do we do?" asked Rocky. "This is unfixable, this is unchangeable, this is…final."

"Everybody's gotta die sometime…" Tommy said.

"Yeah," said Rocky. "But why did Trini have to die NOW?"

"It's just not right," Jason agreed.

"And so we commit Trini Elizabeth Kwan to the earth…" spoke the pastor. "Ashes to Ashes and Dust to Dust. Though we always will remember her brave spirit."

The Rangers all tried to stay together, comforting her parents and her Uncle Howard. Kimberly laid Mr. Ticklesneezer in her coffin, sobbing uncontrollably. But when Aisha came to the coffin, she paused. She turned her back to the coffin, put her hand behind her back and motioned Billy over.

"What is it, Aisha?" Billy asked.

"I'm going to give her what belongs to her."

"What?"

"This." And she showed Billy the Sabretooth Tiger Power Morpher.

"No. Keep it."

"But she deserves it. Not me. I'm retiring it."

"There may come a day when the earth may need a Yellow Mighty Morphin Power Ranger," Billy whispered. "You're the only one left. The Power is yours now. Besides, Trini would want it this way."

"All right," said Aisha as she tucked the morpher away. "I hope you're wrong, though."

Back on the Plane

"So all my friends and I just tried to hold together but we went our separate ways since then and haven't had much contact since."

"Really?" Morgan asked Kim. "They do have this thing called Facebook nowadays…"

"Yeah, I know. Not really into it."

"Whatever. Uh, whose turn is it?"

"I thought it was your turn."

"I thought it was yours."

"I guess we got so distracted by the story that we lost track."

"Huh. Stalemate. Wanna play again?"

"Nah, that's okay."

Morgan turned his attention to Spike, but he was engrossed in his 3DP game. "Crap," he grumbled. "Ah well, back to my creations…"


	16. Blue Discovery

Chapter 16

Blue Discovery

Somewhere in Earth's Orbit

Gorluce's ship sat in orbit around Earth awaiting the descent order. Gorluce sat in his ready room awaiting Mortis' arrival. He knew his lieutenant wouldn't keep him waiting too long. He would suffer if he did.

As usual, Gorluce was right. Mortis arrived on schedule. "My Lord," he said, "we are awaiting your order to descend to the planet's surface."

"Very well," Gorluce answered his second-in-command. "But let's give everything an old-fashioned once-over before we descend, shall we? We can't be too prepared to conquer a universe."

"Yes, of course, sir," Mortis nodded and stepped aside as Gorluce stood up and headed to the door.

Mortis followed Gorluce down the corridors of the ship, stopping every so often to point out where each of their guests' quarters was.

"And what progress has Cranivargo, our Org representative, made?" Gorluce asked.

"The Knight Org has made contact with the Red Wild Force Ranger, Cole Evans." Mortis told his commander. "I am certain Mr. Evans has rallied his team by now. Whether they will have their powers is uncertain."

"We have to assume they will. Power Rangers are resourceful, the rotten things. And what about our agent in the year 2030?"

"They've… eh-hem…liberated…some key figures for our cause, sir. Those figures have been brought up to speed and have joined our merry band."

"Very good. And our agent in Dimension V, perhaps they have some good news for us?"

"There has been some trouble in the past, but it could be resolved…"

"Could be?"

"There are some slight difficulties concerning…" Mortis stammered.

"Can they be dealt with?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then deal with them."

"Very well."

"Now can we continue, my good man?"

"Certainly, sir."

The two kept going until they headed to a factory-like room.

"What's in here?" Gorluce asked Mortis.

"Ah, yes; a little something I got from one of Rita Repulsa's old henchmen before he got wiped off the face of the universe. Quite a bit improved, though; I'll tell you that much. "

"When did I give you permission to make a deal with one Rita's goons?!" Gorluce howled. "It's bad enough we have…"

"Relax, my lord. He was desperate to get something for his empress, so he sold me this. I've made my own improvements to it. But we'll use it when we need it, sir."

"It had better be worth it, Mortis."

They continued until they returned to Gorluce's ready room.

"Is everything in order, sir?"

"It is. Give the order to enter the atmosphere. But do not land, remain cloaked. Can't cause a mass panic yet."

"Aye, sir."

Mortis left to return to the bridge, and Gorluce headed back into his ready room. Once there and certain he was alone, he opened a small secret console on his desk that held a small black box: the Infinity Device. Gorluce laughed. He wondered what he could do with it this time. The answer was simple: anything he chose. He decided to conjure up another henchman. Someone simple-minded would do, having no purpose except to be an example for anyone who dared oppose him. He remembered one such patsy, Divatox's nephew, what was his name again, oh yes…

"Elgar…" he whispered and the Device glimmered. In a flash, the dim-witted pirate was brought before him.

"Dum-dum-dedum-dum-dadum-dadum-dadum…whoa! How'd I get here? Uh, who are you?"

"I am Lord Gorluce. Make yourself useful and stand guard outside this room."

"What? Wait a minute? What's goin' on here? Where's Auntie D?"

"Your aunt is gone. I am your new master. Now stand guard outside this room."

"Uh… okay, sure, whatever you say, boss."

Gorluce just laughed. It was good to be the boss.

Aquitar

Billy Cranston had a feeling that something was happening, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what. It had been years since he had permanently relocated to Aquitar; a change that he had gotten used to eventually with the help of the Aquitian Rangers, particularly Cestro, whom Billy had always felt a kinship with. While he couldn't breathe underwater, (then again, neither could the Aquitians; at least Billy didn't think so) Billy had gotten used to traveling through underwater structures and helping the Aquitians with understand human culture, as they helped him understand Aquitian tradition. He had gotten used to Aquitian vegetable dishes most days, but he had taught them how to make ice cream since it was such a big hit during their time on Earth. And to think, he had once been afraid of fish.

But now something bothered him. It wasn't the fact that his bond with Cestro was growing stronger by the day. Delphine would tell him that Corcus and Tideus were impressed with how two men from different worlds could get along so easily. Aurico even said it was an honor to have Billy as a friend.

But Billy wasn't sure Cestro was just a friend. Cestria, Cestro's cousin and the one who had brought Billy to Aquitar when his aging side effects began to rear their head, had told him he should follow his heart. And Billy's heart was telling him he wanted Cestro. But how could he bring himself to tell his fellow Blue Ranger?

But there was something else on his mind. Something was going to happen on Earth. He could feel it. He couldn't quite figure out what, but he knew in his mind something big was about to occur. He decided to consult the very man he was in love with.

Billy headed over to the observatory. There was Cestro. Tall, dark skin, lithe build. And that was just his looks. Cestro was one of the few people on any planet that could match Billy intellect-wise. And Cestro just seemed to care more than the others.

But that would have to wait...

"Cestro?"

"Ah; hello, Billy. How are you?"

"I'm good. How 'bout you?"

"I am feeling very well, thank you. I was, as you say, shooting hoops in the gymnasium earlier."

"So how'd you do?"

"My close-range shooting is good, my long-range shooting, however...needs improvement."

"I'm the same way. Can't hit a 3 for anything."

"3?"

"3 point shot. Long distance shooting. If you shoot the ball from outside a certain line and make it, it counts for three points. Inside the line, it's worth only two."

"Billy, if all shots from beyond a certain line are worth more points, is it not advantageous to take all of your shots from beyond said line?"

"If you can make 3's. But the defense is always out there to stop you."

"Defense?"

"Yep. For every team trying to score points, there's an opposing team trying to stop them."

"So teams of five, am I correct?"

"Mmhmm."

"These teams take turns attacking and defending their goals. And after a certain amount of time, whichever team has more points wins."

"That's right."

"I see. I believe we should organize a game one day..."

"That would be fun. You're on my team, okay?"

"Certainly."

"Hey, Cestro?"

"Yes?"

"Can you point the satellite so that we can see Earth? I want to see what's going on with my friends..."

"As you wish..."

Cestro typed in the coordinates and soon Earth was onscreen. But what they saw was not what they expected...

"There's a disturbance in Earth's atmosphere..." Cestro said with a quizzical look on his face.

"Hmmm... I don't like the looks of this. This reminds me of when Pyramidas came down to Earth. Luckily, Trey was on our side."

"Do you believe it's possible that another invasion of Earth is happening?"

"Wouldn't be the first time, probably won't be the last."

"The Rangers of Aquitar will assist Earth. It is what we do for our friends."

"Thank you. We need to go. Earth may need all the Rangers' help."


End file.
